One Piece - The Path of King
by Chirgo
Summary: Starting from the end of Whole Cake Island, Luffy and The Strawhat Pirates and Armada try to fulfill their dreams until the end.
1. 0 Prologue

This is my effort of making a long-term One Piece fanfiction, which starts from the end of Whole Cake Island arc. I hope this fanfic would be finished until the end of my version of One Piece storyline. And i hope you enjoy it.

One Piece Fanfiction

 _ **The Path of King**_

 **0\. Prologue**

He was enveloped in darkness, somewhat comfortable with the way his body drifted by calm ocean outside of his consciousness. The gentle rumbling of the seas in his ears was like a mother's lullaby. But after a moment, he couldn't deny the sun's afternoon glare that forced its way into his eyelids.

Then, memories came rushing like a waterfall. His brain gave electric visions of enormous biscuit soldiers marching to him, his breath being choked by sticky substances, forcing him to chomp and gulp without stopping, giant arms with jagged thorns breaking him apart-

And a giant woman, creating a miniature sun on earth, chasing him and his crew while scorching all things in her way.

Monkey D. Luffy opened his eyes as his body snapped into the great black form of Gear Fourth.

"Big Mom! Mochi Man! I'll never let you take my cook!"

A girl hugging his waist. That brilliant, silky orange hair.

"Nami?"

His bulging shoulders seemed to hesitate, before they slowly went into relaxation.

"Luffy. It's okay."

That bouncing beast began to release his force of Armament Haki from inside of his muscle fibres. His massive posture gradually became smaller, smaller. Until he was not any taller than an average boy.

His body shrinked like a deflated balloon to become a figure normal proportions. Then the boy looked around. There were no sign of Mochi Devil Fruit Awakening. No sound of the air pierced apart by a lightning-fast spear named Mogura. And certainly, the portions of ocean surrounding him was not evaporized by some soul demon made by a devil fruit. Instead, the sea was blue and smelled like always of salt and laughter and invitation, swaying the Sunny in relative peace.

He by then realized. It was safe.

Luffy's Observation Haki tingled, it was about someone behind his back. The boy turned around and find Sanji standing awkwardly, his shirt torn from Big Mom crew's various assault, and his nervous eyes not quite able to look other way than the wooden deck beneath his shoes.

"Captain."

And that call, a sign of him returning to the crew. Luffy took a quiet look at the blonde guy. A longer look than usual. Then Luffy's breath clenched a little.

"Sanji. So you're back."

Something in that reply brought the cook to focus and look at Luffy. At that moment, The air began to ripple slowly. Sanji's gut told him that the ripple was emanated from his captain, unseen yet demanding. And at the moment Luffy's gaze met his, Sanji felt his own body getting smaller in front of the boy.

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 _Although Sanji's blood came from Germa 66's Vinsmoke Family, he would never be a part of those morale cretins. His biological father created so-called perfect soldiers in his sons, but he remembered his brothers cut off a child's fingers one by one while laughing in front of the parents, to ensure business payment. Apparently their empathy was switched off as one of the criterias of successful genetic engineering, leading them to be uncaring towards victims or bystanders in war._

 _And even to their own kin, they were indifferent and cruel. They made a pact to marry Sanji without his consent. A marriage to a daughter of Big Mom, one of the four fearsome Pirate Emperors reigning in The New World._

 _Sanji found no way out. Refuse the marriage, and an army of pirates strong enough to decimate the whole East Blue would surround Baratie Restaurant, kill his old Man Zeff, then burn the restaurant along for laughs. Nothing would be left._

 _So Sanji swallowed his dignity and left the Cook position of Strawhat Pirate, permanently. He was packed and brought by the Vinsmokes to Whole Cake Island. He was dressed and displayed like a doll at the wedding ceremony._

 _He wouldn't ever find All Blue, since his fate was to be locked forever as an ornament of Big Mom Pirates. But his family, his real family in Baratie Restaurant, bound not by blood but instead by dreams and passion of their life's calling, they would be safe. It was a worthy sacrifice._

 _Then Luffy came. He fought against Charlotte Cracker, the Commander capable of creating infinite number of Armament-coated biscuit soldiers, and blasted Cracker away through a mountain. Shortly after, he struggled against an entire army of veteran pirates._

 _And after all that, Luffy proceeded to beat even the strongest Sweet Commander. Charlotte Katakuri, who was said to be untouchable in battles._

 _Sanji found him. The boy with the Straw Hat walked with his legs wobbled like jelly, the stench of blood from his body filling the air around him, but his eyes were victorious. Inches away from getting killed, Luffy had ran against a hurricane of enemies just to take Sanji back. It ached to watch him. Sanji piggy-backed the falling boy while evading attacks from a blue, floating humanoid half-giant and another half-giant with powers of heat._

 _As Sanji ran to bring Luffy to a safe place, it still hurt. Because it was really Luffy who saved him from the sin of betrayal. It was Luffy who come with persevering willpower, strength, but most importantly trust, just to take him back. Sanji was forcefully reminded by then, why this boy with the straw hat was the one to be Pirate King._

 _With their combined effort, along with Germa 66's weaponry and Sun Pirates who could control the sea and making alliances out of its creatures, Sunny and them finally escaped the waters of Big Mom Pirates. A moment after, the Strawhat Boy went unconscious and slept for days, unable to take so much toll of battles to his rubber body._

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"Never do all that again, Sanji."

The rippling air suddenly fell heavier as Luffy uttered those words, his eyes not childish like usual but instead piercing, like a pair of bullets ready to be fired. Nami, Chopper, Franky, Brook, Carrot and the others felt an urge took a few steps away without realizing, but the weight of the unusual air nailed their body to the spot they stood on. They knew, this rarely seen side of Luffy meant Sanji had messed up big time. And Sanji recognized it the most. This kind of influence over the environment could not be anything else but Haki of The Conquering King, a physical

manifestation of spirit so strong that is able to invade other's senses and mind, possessed only by people with highest potential and willpower.

There was only one thing Sanji could do.

"Yes, Captain. I am really sorry for my foolish and rebellious behavior. I regret it deeply, and i apologize to you personally for verbal and physical insults, all of abuse inflicted from me back then. I also apologize to the crew as a whole. Please forgive me, for i would take any punishment deemed fitting by the crew for this matter. I plead to once again become a nakama of Strawhat Pirates. I will never again betray, or try to solve large-scale life-and-death circumstances involving the crew, without consulting you or the others."

That is, to apologize properly.

"Oh." By those words, Luffy's steel-like stare were quickly dimmed away, until all that was left were eyes similar to those of a child. The air felt refreshed as if it followed Luffy's mood. Sanji had said such big words, really smart and serious.

"I swear it on my life." The blonde cook finished what he had to say, his voice rasped with nicotine and regret. Already glad from hearing the words, Luffy nodded a few times jumpily.

"Mm-hmm! Okay then! It's great that you're back again! Then i'll have no problems becoming The Pirate King!"

It was enough, right? Sanji's words felt to Luffy like he mean it. Then, it was all in the past. Luffy's smiled widely like he wanted to show his teeth to the entire crew. Sanji, feeling some weight lifted from his chest, huffed a relieved breath alongside Nami and the others.

That was, before the weight of a staff called Clima-Tact suddenly slammed at Sanji's crotch with full intention of crushing his balls.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING KICKING LUFFY IN FRONT OF YOUR FAMILY USING FULL FORCE OF YOUR FUCKING FIRE KICKS HUUUH!?"

"Nooo Nami-Swan forgive meeeee~~"

That night, Sanji allowed himself the exclusive experience of sleeping naked.

...While being roped and hanged to the Sunny's mast, upside down.

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As fulfilling as the punishment may be, they couldn't afford to slack. Nami predicted the weather, sea currents, and with her guide the Caravel known as Thousand Sunny slip through the calm waves between the ridges and ocean. Carrot helped Chopper who did splinting and bandaging procedures to the broken bones. Franky was checking the Sunny, his hands repairing the core structures and redesigning the weaponries at the same time.

Sanji had just finished placing the the breakfast menu in their common table. All the while, the blonde cook's eyes scanned the surrounding seas, anticipating of being tailed by Big Mom Pirates ship, or ambushes from other enemies and sea animals.

"Wait," Luffy pointing at Sanji, "What are those moving pictures of you?"

Overlapping with Sanji's actual body, Luffy could see _another_ Sanji. It was images of him fighting and avoiding large men, the sons of Big Mom, his successive kicks shrouded with glowing fire.

"Sanji, why didn't you spin-kick the blue genie's wrist to to disarm him?"

Sanji tried to catch on to what Luffy was talking about. But in that moment, the images faded abruptly from Luffy's vision. The boy tried to catch the lingering shapes he watched tenths of seconds ago.

"You can kick his head with right foot right after. More rotating speed. A two-shot kill. The genie's armament was weaker in the head at the moment, and-"

"What did you-"

"-Oh, nevermind. The strain is too much. Need to toughen your waist and ankle first." Luffy nodded to himself. Then he cringed, "Wait, what did i just say?"

Sanji's face went pale. "Did you just...look into the past?"

"Urrrmm...no?" Luffy mumbles, clearly unable to explain it better than how a five-year old teaching a class on how to ride a horse. "Not the past. Just the **your** past, and uh-"

"Did you just, by peeking into the past, also find out the method to beat Sanji's opponent?" Nami interrupted this time, seemingly dumbfounded. Luffy said defensively, "I dunno! I stared at Sanji and found Sanji's images moving about and i listened at his body's 'voice' and i found out about it, how to win against the genie if i use Sanji's kicks!"

"You stared and listened?" Sanji slowly confirmed what was going on. "Luffy...Is it haki? You can learn things from the past on how to strengthen my Kick Course?"

Luffy looked at Sanji, while his eyes seemed to be curious about himself instead, "I think so. Maybe it's because i got a different view from Katakuri."

"View?"

"He's such a strong Observation user. He can see into the future, predicting everything about everyone. I learned that too, while fighting him. But i suck at that. I picked up something else, though. My own view of using Observation. It's different. It's more specific to the person. It feels like, by Observing them, i can..." Luffy's voice trailed thinner into the air, lost into a thought of his own. The sky was blue and the sun was partially hiding in the bulbous clouds but its rays still reached, basking Luffy's face and eyes. The warm sun. Luffy liked the sun a lot.

The others began to look at the boy, his hat was like a natural part of his body. Sitting alone on the top of Sunny's lionhead figure, at the moment Nami felt like he was somehow being inside of a painting, framed by the skies around him.

"Sanji. Nami." Luffy suddenly called out, making both of them jumped in surprise. "We will go to Wano, right?"

They nodded then Nami began to answer, "Yes, Luffy. Robin and the others have infiltrated Wano to lay low, gain information and possibly rescue whoever they can from Momonosuke's family. My estimation is two weeks and three days at most. The waves are challenging, but in five hours we would arrive at a spot with calm winds to determine the best water currents."

"But Nami," Sanji interrupted after blowing his cigarette smoke, "We have to transit for food at the nearby island for maximum 40 miles. Our protein source is abundant from fishes and Seakings, but we begin to lack vegetables and fruits. How about-"

Chopper brought a white box, nearly empty, "I agree with Sanji. Medicine supply is short, too. Luffy has abnormal recovery rate. Maybe it's due to the factors of his abnormal appetite supporting the healing process, and his bones and muscles being made of rubber. But the others like Sanji, Carrot, they need antibiotics, screws and plates for operation. The infection, displaced fractures, burn trauma…"

"I trust you all. Decide the best." Luffy said shortly while returning to his cabin.

"What?"

"You're the captain! Usually you decide from the all available options how to idiotically make us sail and jump away to the most painful death, don't you!?" Sanji and Nami shouted, angrily obsessed to their Captain's usual behavior for some reason. But Luffy just turned around for a while and glanced at them without saying anything. He looked sideways and up, to the flocks of

orange birds each the size of a rabbit hundreds of meters away from Sunny, with their long neck and loud screech.

"You're so much smarter than me. Figure things out to prepare for Wano. Routes, supplies strategies, whatever."

Sanji couldn't guess the meaning behind the Luffy's curious grin while his figure disappear into his own room.

"I must figure things out on my own."

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It happened two weeks later, and Nami was the first one to detect it by her skin. The others noticed it much much later, since they just saw the ocean waves getting as high as multiple houses stacked together.

"Tighten the ropes! Luffy, tie the rudder! Make thick knots with your arms but leave enough space for me to steer!"

"What's a rudder?"

"THAT ONE, BLOCKHEAD!"

"Oh the wheel! On it!"

The ship shook with vibrations from the angry ocean. The winds started to blow faster and heavier by the rain droplets that followed. The Strawhats Pirates and allies wondered about the sudden change. But Nami had a prediction already. It was possible that they had already enter the magnetic field of an island.

Then, jumping to the air from inside the waters, were Koi fishes bright red and white, bigger than the Sunny itself.

"Sanji, roll the front sail! I need just two-third of its full length! After that, switch with me and maintain the 60 degrees, north-west direction! Carrot and Chopper, the rigging needs some control! Franky, cover them up and supervise! Coordinate with me!"

Nami continued to yell as the skies darken and became murky. But the sea by contrast went clearer, more transparent, like it was no longer saltwater but a part of some giant river or waterfall.

"The waters are suuupeerrr!"

"May i play some upbeat melody to motivate us in order to get-"

"Guard the hull first you prick! Freeze the waves!"

The sky was similarly black as coal, signing an ominous future. As the waves pushed them to a corner, it shook them some more. The ship was helplessly pulled forward when the waves formed three diagonal whirlpools at the same time, swallowing them along with the Sunny.

"AAAAaaaa-!"

Their scream did next to nothing to reduce the sea's ruthlessness. But Sunny, Sunny tried and endured all the burden of being hit hy the waves, being pulled by one giant Koi fish just like an absurd water cart. Their screams, tears and vomit mingled together while the whirlpool enclosed upon them, and seawater forced the way into their lungs and guts.

And that was how they arrived at the coast of Wano Kuni.


	2. Chapter 1 - Land of Samurai

Author's Note: Hi. I have pretty much finished, in my head, the general plot, major battles, character and their power development of Wano arc. I made this fanfic mostly because until now there is, as far as i know it, practically no fic that portrays Luffy vs Kaidou, so i try to give Wano arc justice according to my version.

Each arc may have the span of 3-5 chapters. Due to my agendas in real life and the perspective that i'm not the kind of fanfic writer who's into minor scenes or shenanigans or battles, i'll try to keep it efficient and to the point. After Wano, i haven't really thought about it, so go ahead and give reviews and comments about this arc, and the possibilities about the upcoming arcs also.

One Piece Fanfiction

 _ **The Path of King**_

 **Adventure in The Land of Samurai**

Chopper coughed out a small fish from his mouth. His eyes felt watery and stinging, he rolled over his back and moved about to dry his fur. The clear, whitish sand hot around his hooves and his consciousness getting clearer, the doctor of the Strawhat Pirates took a stroll around their stranded ship. Sanji and Nami were nowhere to be found. But Chopper saw Franky and Brook coming back from quite a distance, presumably already secured the perimeter.

"Yohoho! Chopper-San, we spot a house in the forest, so i think the forest animals are quite tame. Have you seen Sanji-San and Nami-San?"

Chopper shook his head, and some more water splashed out from his ears. Together, they docked Sunny near a semi-circular formation of rocks, as close to hiding as possible. The best of luck to them was that the seawater had clear water properties instead of salt, so they could drink their fill and store plenty in Sunny's water tank. Having solved the crucial water issues, the three of them walked towards the wooden house in the forest.

It was deserted and empty. Franky and Chopper went to the kitchen, and all they found was old wooden walls and unused cooking utensils. There was a low dining table in the small living room, designed for having meals without using a chair but by sitting directly at the floor. While Chopper rummaged to a rusty cabinet hoping to find some snack, it was Franky who noticed something.

"There's something weird about the floor."

"What's weird, Franky-San?" Brook asked, bending his upper body forward to inspect the floor more carefully, forming a precise 90 degree angle to his upright legs in the process.

"It's made of wood," Chopper commented, "So what?"

Suddenly green rays coming out from Franky's eyes, scanning the floor board's deeper structures. He corrected Chopper, "Its made from a synthetic fiber plates called Menilus. Whoever made this deliberately texturized it to impersonate wood, but the material itself is actually four times as rigid and almost half as sturdy as Wapometal. You can't find this kind of expensive material in a deserted house."

"What do you mean?"

Knocking the floor using his cane-sword, Brook fell silent. The sound and echo was too high, too loud. "This is peculiar."

Chopper tried to think so hard he tauted his eyebrows, but Brook's long experience during his previous lifetime and Franky's knowledge about materials already pointed to an obvious fact.

"Bros! Prepare for surprise atta-" Franky began to shout but the floor already swiftly opened like a sliding door. Their anticipation comiwng a step too late, the crew tumbled down to a hollow space below them.

"Whoooaahh-"

"Yooohohohohooo~~"

They fell and rolled, down and away. It was a deep vertical tunnel underneath the floor they previously stood on.

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"Whooaaaah!"

"Stop it, Chopper!"

"You stop it! You have those laserbeams and missiles so why must you run too you robot freak!"

"It's underground, you Baboon! If i blast it with Franky Beam this whole ceiling and tunnel will collapse and we have nowhere to run and no exit so where will that leave us huuuh!?"

A blue-nosed talking reindeer, a mechatronic humanoid unit, and a living skeleton with an afro hair were seen running for their lives inside a tunnel with sedimentite walls and almost no light source. They had passed thirteen pits filled with embedded blades, ten sessions of paralyzing needles from holes in the wall, and twenty batches of arrows raining down on them from various angles of the ceiling and floor during their time in the the tunnel.

"Franky-San, calling Chopper-San as a baboon is an inappropriate manner which may possibly put him in a discomforting sensation. May i ask for you to kindly refer to Chopper-San as-"

"Shut up and run, McPantiesManiac!"

Constructed like a three-dimensional underground labyrinth with deadly traps, Chopper diagnosed that whoever it is that decided to build this kind of place must be a paranoid schizophrenic. The part of the tunnel they were currently running in was a descending route. Not too steep, no, but the problem was that Chopper stepped on a weird clicking paving block somewhere before a four-way intersection, and it resulted in some trap activation and a huge ass stone boulder almost as the same size of the tunnel room itself suddenly dropped from somewhere then began to roll and descend with a huge sound, chasing at them from behind.

In the middle of running, Chopper gathered his bravery, skidded and turn around, "If you want to play rough, Mr. Boulder, then i have no other choice. Behold! The defense that had stopped Big Mom's casual, haki-less punch!"

"Why must you mention casual and haki-less too!?"

"Would it boost our confidence now if i said that back then she actually exerted her muscle strength a thousand levels below her definition of 'casual' and it took my entire strength and plot armor to defend against that?"

"That makes it even worse!"

"Just do it already!"

"Fine! Rumble! Fur Point!"

Suddenly, the stone boulder bump on a soft cushion-like wall. The wall's surface was curved, for it was actually Chopper's bodily fur that had grown superbly thick to the point of forming a giant fluffy ball, tens of times his own size and filling every inch width of the walls and ceiling. With this cushion mode being highly absorbant to impact, Chopper finally managed to stop the boulder.

"Way to go, Chopper-Bro!" Franky gave a robotic thumbs-up and began to build some makeshift fence in front of Chopper's fur to hold the big rock more solidly. Brook peeked at the far corner of the forked tunnel behind them, and realized there was a subtle breeze coming from the left.

"There is wind! It is an exit!"

"Hurraaaah!" Franky followed the mood. Both of them speedwalked along the dark tunnel until they saw a speck of light getting closer.

"But…" Chopper interrupted meekly, "I'm stuck."

Hearing those last two words, the cyborg and the skeleton could only stare at each other with flat expression.

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Two hours later, they managed to pull and drag Chopper to the outside.

"My fur! What are you doing to my fit-for-internal-division-and-emergency-department-doctor fur!"

The sweat, blood and tears of Tony Tony Chopper's heroics would not be forgotten for quite some time. But for now, they had arrived at somewhere they didn't expect.

An underground hall. The ceiling was lower than that of a normal building should, and the clear lemon-colored walls seemed to be made of modifiable sliding doors leading to numerous other, smaller rooms. No furniture.

Just a single person sitting in the edge of the room.

"Pardon me, kind Sir. We are-" Brook started to greet, but stopped mid-sentence. Having experienced the trap maze beforehand, It would be wise to consider the possibility of this person being the one responsible for such setting. "-travelers, searching of the way to our home. But a storm came and we were stranded at the coast. May you be so kind to inform us about this place?"

"You should not have come here."

The answer came from a voice smooth as satin, like the voice's owner was either a pre-pubescent boy or a calm girl. But that steady-solid posture, Chopper was sure that it was an adult man with musculature similar to a wolf.

"Why?"

"Anyone who attempts to go in or out results in death sentence."

"What!? Who made such horrible rule?!"

"Orochi, the ruler of this island and nation. Also known as Shogun of Wano."

"C-can i...g-go back to the surface abb-above?" Chopper automatically stuttered, but the person he asked remained silent as a stone. His face was covered by the black hood he was wearing, but Brook definitely saw what he assumed to be royal crest, that of eight-headed serpent biting a sword, embedded in his inner clothes.

"...Sir. You're one of Orochi's men."

"If you say so."

"So you want to kill us just because we arrived at this island? I'll take you on!" Franky began to yell and activate his weapons, but Brook quickly stopped him.

"You seem to have something more than just an intention to kill, Sir," Brook tried to evaluate him, "If you just wanted to kill then you'd ambush us right from the tunnel's exit once you heard our footsteps."

The person answered, "I am among those who have directly instructed by Shogun to execute anyone who tries to infiltrate Wano Kuni, or leaking information to the outside world. But i also recognized that Shogun is currently in a somewhat...compromised position."

"Compromised?"

He is pressured, to say the least, by the influence of certain someone."

Getting closer, they could see the person's face under the black hood, revealing himself to be a pale, pretty man with jaw so narrow it shaped like a v-line. They could see a blood-red tattoo on his forehead, its shape and meaning unclear to The Strawhats. "Someone who would destroy this nation and anyone opposing him, at will."

"Is it-"

"So, i can spare you. On a few terms."

Brook responded with a question, "Do those terms include helping you out to assassinate an Emperor of The Seas, and the strongest one at that?"

"For a living skeleton, you are not bad at catching up." The pretty man nodded and he opened his palm, revealing a pool of bluish liquid floating around like slivers of smoke. He said, "Sign the Blood Vow, and i'll spare your life."

"What is that?" Franky grunted after seeing the weird floating weirdness at the man's palm.

"Insert a drop of your blood here."

"Into the floating blue smoke? What is that? What if i get sick from it?"

"It is The Blood Vow, a guarantee of you lot being non-hostile to my person. It would only restrict your movements if you physically attack me."

The three of our circus freaks huddled into a circle for a moment. They hushed and hished but they didn't know what to argue about so what they discussed was pointless to begin with.

"Oookay, i-i'll do it." Chopper pulled an automated lancet and pricked his own hooves. He then touched the liquid using the blood-smeared lancet. Much to his surprise, the lancet came back clean.

"Where-where's the blood?"

"It was eaten to be memorized."

"So...you eat blood? Like, _eat_ eat? That's creepy." Brook said. Franky and Chopper automatically whacked the skeleton, "You're ten times creepier than him!"

"Blood cannot be eaten. He should've said 'i drank that blood' instead of words involving eating."

"So it was his choice of vocabulary that's creepy all along?!"

Brook ignored him and focus on the stranger instead, "Excuse my friends' lack of manners. Our representative has fulfill the Blood Vow, whatever that serves. So would you be so kind to fill us with details? Your identity, friends and enemies, and more importantly the situation here in Wano Kuni."

The pretty man took a deep breath, "This is the story of Wano. And good or bad, you will take part in the ending."

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 _Wano Kuni, a land filled with canopies of nature, giant trees of Bonsai and Cherry Blossom. The nation itself was relatively small, consisted only of one island approximately two thousand miles in length and five hundred miles in width. But the earth was rich with the finest of iron. And here existed one rare type of liquid mineral not found on anywhere else in the world._

 _When the first generation of miners in Wano found out about the quality of iron, they began to learn about the art of sword-forging. A few clans began to leave the mining job altogether and switched their field of work to become swordsmiths due to the high amount of profit. The demands mostly came from the self-proclaimed provincial rulers that had risen in power and wealth backed up by their own family or clan, competing with each other to gain more resources and territory. Due to this reason, it was inevitable that the situation developed into civil war to claim dominion over the larger portion of the land. A high number clans formed private armies or paid mercenaries just to topple other neighboring rulers, while other clans developed teachings regarding art of killing in various forms to win the civil war. Sisters killed their brothers to become family heads or due to alluring propositions from other clans, brothers raped their sisters for similar reasons, and hired assassins usually gained orders to kill not one person but a whole family. The contemporary historians called that dark era filled with bloodbath as, The Period of Warring States of Wano._

 _This period brought the worst and the best of the people. The children became more battle-lusted than average marine officers, the labourers turned into fearsome swordsmen as they were recruited into mercenary groups. The continuing bloodshed had served to sharpen their strength and spirit to the point that not more than twenty generations after, this land had gain the world's attention due to the first-class swords and warriors born here at the soil of Wano. Many travelers and government agents stepped their foot at this land in order to gain knowledge about making high-class weapons or becoming a strong warrior. But the provincial barons, calling themselves Daimyo, had placed their military armies and assassins even along the coastlines to execute anyone, even Vice Admirals, daring enough to enter the nation. The Daimyos' race for power reached the stage where only two Daimyos were left, each of which had already taken the territories of the rest of the clans, either by force or consent, and in result possessing the biggest governed areas and armies. But it came as a huge relieve to the people, that the two clans were in fact allied with each other. Thus a bigger bloodbath was avoided._

 _The nation was united under the banner of alliance between the two winner clans, Kozuki Clan and Kurozumi Clan. The Warring States Period came to a close with the ascent of Oden's family head as Shogun, and Kurozumi's most beautiful family member as the Queen._

 _The people of Wano had their peace over three centuries. Starting from the latest ten years, Kozuki Clan chose a member of Kurozumi Clan as Shogun for unknown reasons._

 _But as eight generations of Kurozumi Shogunate had finally passed, the latest Shogun, Kurozumi Orochi, had a severe illness. That information alone triggered a rebellion from quite a number of Daimyos. Insecure about his throne, Orochi sought for help to crush the rebellion. A help from an evil god, Kaidou._

 _To Orochi's shock, The Beast Pirates took advantage of the situation itself to rule Wano. Kaidou stripped Shogun's entire families,most loyal bodyguards, friends, and ministers of weapons and clothes. He place them in Wano's underground prison. Everyday, they were forcefully injected by a type of corrosive venom that rot their bones and muscles little by little._

 _Starting from that day, Kaidou declared himself as an Emperor of The Sea. He claimed Wano as his main headquarters and built factories of artificial Devil Fruits. Whatever waste drained out of the factories turned the rivers into toxic waters, in effect also poisoned the cattles and trees into being inedible. Many were cornered into eating corpses, since the famine and sickness was even worse then Warring States Period. A number of opposing Daimyos, including Kozuki Clans, was horribly executed. Whatever was left of Orochi became only a figurehead with no true power. This was, The Age of Suffering._

 _But Assassins Faction organized a gathering. Led by The League of Shadows, the faction decided to disappear and sent messengers that slipped out of Wano unnoticed, seeking for help from whoever willing. The Minks were old friends, so they should agree to help._

 _But no, it was not enough. As the previously experienced warriors were reduced to sick people by the toxic food and water, the Beast Pirates easily subdued their opposition. As factories of artificial Devil Fruits had skewed the nation of Wano into lands of starvation and toxic wasteland, they need something more. In this Age of Suffering, it was hope they needed to cling to._

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"That is all i know," the masked man named Killer said to Sanji and Nami at a hidden base in a forest, near a riverbank. The water's consistency was no different than oil, and at the surface they could spot many dead fish.

"And now, your turn. This is a dish made using water for that river, and plants from the forest."

Sanji took a spoonful of boiled turnips dish at the plate. The damp smell was layered with something sharp and nauseating it irritated the roof of his nose. The cook squinted his eyes and reached for something inside his pocket. It was four-colored spices. The cook gave a litte bit of the white spice. No effect. Sanji tried the red spice after the white, and stirred the mix with the dish. Unnoticed by anyone except for him, the nauseating smell became stronger by a quarter.

Sanji decided "The poison in this dish was something highly alkaline."

"Alkaline?"

"Like a detergent but much more deadly. Both the turnips and the waters are obviously contaminated."

"So you can do something about it. Do it, then. Make the food edible." Killer concluded.

"Maybe i can, but not just yet. We need a clean kitchen and very specific ingredients. I need the information regarding mapping of plantation and animal farms in Wano. According to those data, if there any, we just might be able to make a Healing Restaurant. With me as Connoisseur, I think Franky can make a presentable water purifier. Oh, and Chopper. Especially, we need Tony Tony Chopper."

"The Mongoose of yours?"

"He's a Reindeer."

"Mongoose."

"Reindeer."

"Mongoose."

"You sure you're not a sex slave beneath that fetish mask?"

"Mong-Ji."

"That's the nickname of an actress who starred in Princess Hours and Minutes."

"Moonwalk."

"I'll slap you with a heel-kick."

"Right."

"By the way, all of that Healing Restaurant idea is plan B."

"Plan B? Then what's plan A?"

"Finding clean sources of food and drink to take it as our own. If it works, we'll save plenty of manpower. By the way, you haven't told me why you're here."

"I'm the Vice Captain of-"

"Eustass Kidd, i know that much."

"Kaidou himself landed at our base."

"He attacked you?"

"Apparently he enjoys suicide attempts as a hobby and he threw himself off from a random sky island. He fell accidentally at our base in The New World."

"Did you run?"

"My captain attacked him."

"Ooo~kay." Sanji whistled, but then he tried to fish for Killer's response, "So i assume your captain's...dead now?"

"No. For unknown reasons, he was just imprisoned." Killer said, "We all came here in hope of rescuing him, but X-Drake and his lizard army ambushed us at Kise waterfall."

Nami nodded, "X-Drake...back then in Arlong Park, i heard about him. A Rear Admiral who defected into a pirate. But why bother attacking you as well? Weren't you more or less allied at Sabaody Island when Pacifistas and Admiral Kizaru mopped the floor with our ass?"

"I love the way you said 'ass', Nami-Swan ~ "

Killer played his curved long knife between his fingers, a sign of slight nervousness, "I don't know. As a part of the alliance, we had the numbers. Hawkins stalled his ambush, showed a tarot card. By this, Drake was somehow convinced and stop attacking. We wait at waterfall, while two of them discussed something at the rivers above the cliff. Hawkins came back alone."

"Nobody knows what runs in the head of Basil Hawkins," Sanji nodded, mentally taking notes. He had heard of this Hawkins man called The Magician before and out from four or five alternatives, there were two most realistic explanation that Sanji could predict from that story.

One, that Basil Hawkins might had taken advantage of Kidd's loss and joined Kaidou's crew. Follow the strongest current, as some might say. Two, it was also possible that Hawkins, on the contrary, sought an actual alliance out of X-Drake as an insider at Beast Pirate, in order to help beating Kaidou. The motives were unclear at this point in time, but-

"But it's of no difference."

Sanji's prediction stopped when Killer said that, "What?"

"We can't beat him."

"All of us are here."

"Meaning?"

Sanji considered it for a moment, before deciding to disclose a strategy he had already commenced, "The whole Strawhat Team. Luffy, Zoro. And Trafalgar Law also. Zoro said before that he would gather the Samurai and Daimyos to fight. I haven't been able to reach his team, but it would be expected that Law and Robin have information regarding potential allies, clear enemies, and those who are in grey areas. I have discussed with Robin before leaving Zou, so it's top-notch priority to find her team so just we can compare notes. There are also The Minks who have become our friends, a whole race of great strength wanting to settle a bite with Jack The Drought and surely his superior who planned the Zou invasion. Nami, our navigator, is in the middle of mapping out the strategical terrains for us to build military bases in for our possible army units and the leaders of each. I have by myself also contacted Sun Pirates and Kuja Pirates. Jimbei is on the way along with his crew and who knows what else, Law is already here with Roronoa Zoro's team, and Boa Hancock said herself that she would give her life to help Luffy and i hear her boobies-erm, i mean strong female warriors instantly being prepared through the call. That's practically five warriors of Shichibukai level, their crews, and alliance."

Killer listened for a bit before muttered, "...Then do what you can to make the food edible. There's the kitchen. We try to clean it thoroughly. Use it to make medical food for all of us."

"Sure. If we eat poisonous foods and drinks, the alliance would fall by itself, just like Samurai opposition in your story." Sanji looked sideways to the room Killer pointed at, "Help Nami to strategize, will you?"

"I'll help your navigator. I know quite a bit about the caves, forest and cliffs here. Places to rest but also places of clean murder. We'll try to take advantage of the terrain. The rivers are fit for ambush or poisoning the enemies. We might have a chance to match or outnumber his Commanders, at least. We might find Nico Robin's team as well, and i suppose. We'll help you fight the armies and all," Killer replied, before hesitantly mentioned his part of the deal. "The only condition for that is, help us finding and releasing Captain Kidd and escape from this place. After that, you and your friends can get whatever it is you after. And after that, run and just run."

"Run?" Sanji lifted his spiral eyebrows, "We are after Kaidou. Our goal is to help the people here gain freedom. In order to do that, we drive him out of Wano. You don't even think we'll win even with that kind of force?"

With his voice chipping away, Killer could still manage to speak out, "After all is said and done, all of us will still only run like nearly dead kittens and hope _he_ doesn't choose to chase us in the process."

Something was off. Sanji took a good look at the masked man. He remembered what kind of monster Charlotte Linlin was, and being scared of an Emperor was a perfectly justified excuse to run from a battle, especially after the objective had been reached. But using his Observation Haki, Sanji could palpate this clammy feeling from Killer. And that moment, Sanji knew that Killer was telling him the truth about the oppression in this land of Wano.

It was not fear he felt. It was resignation, imprinted deep into his bones and movement. Killer's body itself knew, that any thought to even hold their ground against that man was impossible.

Sanji trembled at this sight his Haki provided. But he couldn't falter before the war even start. And he remembered something back in The Sunny.

Luffy was grinning.

So Sanji replied,

"Our Captain breaks through the line of what's possible and what's not. Let's just do our best."

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Even though his own expression concealed his emotions, Basil Hawkins was surprised, to say the least. He had known the reputation of Roronoa Zoro since before the Sabaody incident. But he didn't expect what he thought as a chance to catch some challenge, turned instead into an experience for him similar to a tactician getting in a locked cage with a hungry panther.

Roronoa Zoro pulled out his sword from its scabbard, his motion liquid but his muscles like a rhinoceros made human. Anyone with a decent eye would avoid a physical challenge at this man. But Basil Hawkins, The Magician, didn't win fight using his muscles. He didn't underestimate his opponent either, even though Monkey D. Luffy pushed the swordsman onto the back of a running Lion-Dog, a species commonly found at Kuri and Yo, and escape from that place. There was simply no need to join the fight himself when Hawkins could pull a very fortunate card, enabling him to create a powerful warrior out of his Devil Fruit.

Jioken, a Voodoo Ghost. Its strength was of a thousand warriors, its weapons sharp and envenomed, its flight was like a giant Kremulian Eagle, and it felt no pain.

But even with unsteady footing at the back of the Lion-Dog, a surprise attack with projectile black nails from Jioken, and a vertical scar covered his left eye which should narrow the field of vision, the green-haired swordsman matched The Voodoo Ghost at every parry, thrust and counter. That alone gave a rise of the hairs at the back of Hawkins' neck. Even at the defensive, he was scary. And once the flow of Jioken's strikes slightly fell into stagnant repetition, the man pushed the window of chance with an attack. His two swords unified into a flow, forming a strength and movement like a twister of wind. Jioken's body was cleaved in two, and the magical creation vanished into a whiff of fog.

Then, the Lion-Dog escaping further still, swordsman gave his chasing opponent a look. The Magician then felt icy drops of sweat emerging at his forehead, and instantly stopped. A reckless chase agaist that kind of murderer would cost him his life. For he had received a look from the swordsman which said that he, Basil Hawkins, had been marked for a hunt.

. . . . . . .

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Zoro held Wado Ichimonji tightly and stared at the sword. It was almost released from his grip when he clashed swords with the magical enemy.

He met Luffy somewhere by pure coincidence. Luffy rode a large dog alongside a sick girl named Otama, and Zoro jumped on the dog's back to show them the way to Robin's place. But a Worst Generation named Hawkins attacked them on the spot using weird cards and a giant doll. A heavyweight, muscular doll at that. Apparently Hawkins was formerly a part of Eustass Kidd's alliance, but defected to Kaidou's side after Kidd was taken custody.

Zoro still wanted to fight. If they captured Hawkins as a hostage, they could get valuable information or other advantages. But Luffy insisted that Otama must be brought somewhere safe first, so Otama commanded the dog to run. The giant Voodoo doll chased them nevertheless. The giant doll attaccc, while Zoro proteccc. The giant doll pushed him quite a bit at the first clash. But Zoro's Observation Haki allowed him to find a blindspot during its attack. With a new two-sword technique, Zoro cleaved the Voodoo, and they managed to escape.

The swordsman of Strawhat Pirates touched the blood at his face. Two piercing wound at his temple near his green hair, another three at the left cheekbone. That damn Magician and its toys. Back then, not only the giant doll strong enough to shake his grip, it also vomited out nails from its mouth and he just wasn't fast enough to dodge.

"It's not it."

Zoro's train of thought was interrupted. It was Luffy who said that.

"Your speed was enough. But you didn't know which directions."

"What directions?" Zoro asked.

"The nails."

Zoro was slightly surprised, "...You read minds now?"

"It's your Observation Haki that's lacking a bit." Luffy shrugged, before focusing on protecting Otama again at the dog's back. It had already ran for maybe an hour now, passing a yellow grass field filled with reddish bushes and two small lakes. A group of crescent-shaped mountains towered at the background.

Zoro felt weird to be assessed like this. And by Luffy, of all people? The swordsman tried to focus his Observation toward Luffy, and in turn surprised to see that the boy's presence now had some - he didn't know how to properly describe it - strange thickness to it, underneath his skin. It wasn't there before.

But suddenly Zoro's attention was caught by the little girl. She groaned painfully in Luffy's clutches.

"Oy Luffy, why's that kid making that sound? Is she thirsty? Any signs of dehydration? My master said that we must drink 10 glasses a day to keep dehydration away."

"Her skin getting more white than before. Does that mean she's getting prettier?"

"Wha-who told you that?!"

"Sanji did. White girls are pretty he said. Tan girls are exotic he said. I know white it's a color but what's a tan?"

Zoro sighed, "Just keep her from falling. We'll reach Robin's place soon."

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

They had passed another forest, avoiding a group of clucking green-feathered chickens each as big as cow. The dog ran for another hour, but no Robin.

"You said 'soon', Ass-Weed!"

"Don't blame me! That Bonsai tree is shaped exactly like a tree near Robin's place! Why're you calling me Ass-Weed?"

"Because this kid needs help fast and you don't know directions so you are an ass and i bet your ass has green hairs just like seaweed!"

"Your name-calling is so lame, Idiot Captain! By the way you said my Observation was lacking, so why don't you use your own Observation to find the place!?"

"My Observation is person-oriented! It's not for direction!"

"What's that? So there are even types of Observation!?"

"Hold on nevermind i can use my kind of Observation instead! Robin's ahead!"

It was a city larger than Dressrosa. The houses were lined tidy like formation of soldiers, each with just thick paper-like fabric as walls, strengthened by wooden pillars at each corner. The roof of the houses were built artistically with large curving at the edges. Some neatly small, and some like a pagoda. At the center of the city a single giant tree towered to the clouds, its curled middle section of the trunk served as base of one extravagant, thirteen-story building which could only be the castle.

"Wow, you're right." Zoro said to Luffy while clapping as a sign of astonishment, "We're really arrived here. At Hana no Miyako."

"What's AnoHana?"

"Hana no Miyako." a familiar long-nosed guy said to them while walking with somewhat of a practised swagger, "Meaning The Flower City."

"Usopp!"

"Your voice! It's like a terrifying woman!"

Usopp showed his open palm to them. At the surface of his palm-

"Who do you mean by a terrifying woman?"

-was a talking face of a woman!

"Whoaaaahh!"

"It's aliiive! It speeeeaks!"

"Demoooon! I exorcise youuu-eth! Never return to the realm of the living no mooore-eth!"

. . . . . . .

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At a renowned herbal clinic. Otama received treatment for food poisoning, undernourishment and gastric perforation. After that, Usopp guided them to Kozuki Momonosuke, Kinemon, Kanjurou and Raizou first, all four in disguise. The little girl thanked The Strawhat, but chose to stay in Momonosuke's hidout because she said she had something urgent to do alongside the four of them before helping The Strawhats. Usopp gave her one strange-looking Denden Mushi first, a monitor strapped at its shell. He told Otama and Momonosuke to turn on the Denden Mushi in the afternoon, to determine the next steps of their purpose in this land.

After that, The Strawhats and Momonosuke's group temporarily parted ways, with the former back to figuring out the correct road to reach Robin's location.

"So, how many seconds did it take?"

But Luffy and Zoro, walking as they did, were still trapped in upperbody catatonic state regarding a woman's face talking on Usopp's palm. It was just their legs walking like robots.

"It's me, Captain-San."

" . . . Robin?"

"You just realized now!?"

"My ability allows me to do something like this. Grow a face or limb on other people's body part, et cetera."

"Wiihihhihiihhihiihhih! Wuuhhhhahahhahhah! To imagine you, Zoro-Jurou, would try some demon-exorcising technique and-"

"Shut your yapping or i'll cut your offside nose."

"Offside. That's new."

"It's a soccer thing, Robin! Like the ball is offside due to a player from one soccer club is way too far in the opponent's side of the field? It's like a famous saying i learn from my adventure before becoming a Strawhat where i found a soccer player who said all the time that the ball is his best friend, but still kicked it all the time anyway. The legendary soccer player's famous saying is like this: real swordsmen is also men of soccer."

"Your collection of famous sayings is bull-o-shito-eth."

"Bullshitting and proud!"

"And you, Witch, why are you mean to us."

"It's unintentional, Mr. Bushido. I am currently attending to something at a location Usopp knows about. I couldn't go out myself for a number of reasons, so i chose this method."

"She grew her second face on my palm," Usopp snickered, then tried to elaborate the physiology with boiling enthusiasm, "Isn't it amazing? Imagine how difficult it is to interact with your original face, while you must also control a second face at another location! Moreover, Robin told me that she's currently controlling more than five hundred eyes and ears at the same time! The multi-tasking control of sight centers alone, to see and interpret hundreds of scenes at the same time, is surely a major dizziness material! Add on top of that, hearing and speech centers that she must accomplish overlappingly to interact with two or more groups of people, and deciding what to do! Such precision and intellect! No one can utilize that Devil Fruit more effectively than her! Her IQ must be through the roof! Blatan-"

Robin's face cut him short, "There is a major event that would take place soon. And since all of us are here, we need to grab this opportunity to strike, which is why a meeting is urgent. Please keep following Usopp, he would escort you to my real location."

"No need, i know where you are and what you're doing now Robin!" Luffy suddenly said, "But can you turn off that hidden one thousand and eighteen eyes and two thousand and ten ears that you make at the city streets, the huge valleys and mainly the castle please?"

"Robin" and the others became silent.

"...How do you know the exact amount of eyes and ears i grew, Captain-San?"

"Just a feeling! I can point out the location and what infos are going through each of your eyes and ears right now but then it'll make me into a jackass? I dunno what to do with all those sights and voices though they jumble up like crazy!"

Slowly, Robin had a conclusion about Luffy's words, "You hacked into my Hana-Hana information network in this city, using Observation Haki? Even during my time with Dragon-San, i've never heard that depth of Observation display…"

"Those scenes and sounds are just too bright! Too loud! Just turn them off until we meet okay? Then you can use them again. Please Robin?"

"Affirmative, Captain-San."

"Oh i do know one thing from your eyes though Robin! The guy with the super cool sword is super strong."

"What? Damn it," Zoro by then was intrigued by Luffy, "Who's he? Where's he at? How strong is he? Why do you say he's super strong? Is he actually super strong? Like Vista super strong or Doflamingo super strong or-"

"I'm not telling, Zoro! Find out yourself!" Luffy laughed happily, "Robin don't tell him!"

As they walked to find Robin's location by Luffy as guide, Zoro became grumpier but at the same time more spirited than ever.

"Are you sulking or being pumped-up for a fight? Make up your mind!"

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

"Captain-San, you instructed me to turn off my Devil Fruit Network, would you mind tracking any individuals or groups that stalk us along the way, if there is going to be any?"

"I'm suck at that!" Luffy instantly replied, "Zoro's better than me, but aside from Sanji who isn't here, Usopp's the best! Usopp, help us handle ambushes!"

"Yeah, i'm on it, i guess…" Usopp began to concentrate. As they passed the western part of the city, the houses began to differ slightly with more ratios of stones, possibly built during an older period. The long-nosed sniper listened to the Voices coming out from people around. They had distinct auras, shapes of energy and passion of their own. With enough effort of sharpening combination of senses, one would gain a particular form of biological sonar named Observation Haki. By using that natural energy he honed as a sniper, Usopp reached a type of Observation Haki which could display a picture and position of the living beings and the environment in wide terrain. Not only that, he get a display of their overall motivation and hostility toward them as well. Hungry stomach grunts from exhausted labour workers, a stack of gold coins being handed: a closed deal of rip-off trade, eager footsteps of young girls going to a market for a romantic summer date. Also footsteps of patrolling Samurai group, their rhythm steady and ready to engage any law-breaker of Wano. But Usopp couldn't sense any movement or purpose of stalking them, not at the moment. Better keep his Observation Haki sharp until rendezvous point with Robin.

"What? Mine is worse than Usopp?" Zoro couldn't accept that statement so easily and retorted at Luffy, "It just doesn't make sense. Back then, you just peeked at Robin's thousands of eyes and ears just using Observation! Obviously i can't do that, and i don't think Usopp can do that either. And you said you suck at detecting?!"

"I've told you before about my Observation Haki!" Luffy shouted back, "Mine is person-related! I only good at figuring out about a person i've already focused on! I suck at detecting ambushes or strangers in unseen places!"

"Oh. That's weird. You mean it's kind of like your specialty of Observation?"

"Yep! I made it myself!"

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

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It was afternoon when they finally entered a small district where Robin and team resided. Less crowded here at the far northwest side, and the team managed to arrive at the place without being tailed by any suspicious individual or groups.

Robin received them at a small tidy house, the paper walls green with leaf motives. A bittersweet fragrance arose from aromatherapy pot, it smelled nicely like dark chocolate.

"You really find me, Captain-San. If i tell you again that i want to die, would you save me for the second time?" the fair-skinned beauty said as she squeezed Luffy's hands a little more tightly than she should, her dark irises matching her silk-black hair.

"I'll just slap your ass."

The sound of Nico Robin's quiet laughter was fresh like a summer flower. Not wanting to imagine the heretic scene of Luffy slapping Nico Robin's plumpiness, Usopp punched himself in the face then put something at the table they sat on.

"What's this? Isn't it just like the one you gave the Otama brat before?"

"Visual Denden Mushi," Usopp puffed his chest, "I also gave the prototype to Sanji before, in Dressrosa. Like a regular Denden Mushi, but i integrate the snail's eyes with a monitor and Visual Dial. As we know, two or more Denden Mushi Snail would communicate to each other through brainwaves, so we need one of them at each side of contact. Chopper and Law helped me by operating on the first snail's eyes, and i did it myself for the second and third for Otama kid and for us here. This is the result. A system of Denden Mushi with vision from each snail displayed on monitor. We can see who's across the line."

"I bet you're contacting the pervert cook right now."

"Yeap! Sanji! Respond!"

The screen flickered for a bit. A few seconds after, face of blond chef and a little reindeer beside him, emerged on the monitor.

"Sanji! Chopper! You're together!?"

"We've just met, Captain! An hour ago!" the cyborg face of Franky appeared on the screen from the side, followed by a living skeleton who could only be Soul King, Brook.

"Luffy-San, we are also together with Eustass Kidd's Pirates, only minus Eustass Kidd. Not only that, we've gained a new valuable ally and his...members...on our side. As an insider, he has witnessed Kaidou's cruelty and Shogun's suffering for his people."

Thus, the Wano meeting of the Strawhat Pirates began.

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Chi Clan of The West. Kozuki Clan of The East. Godoketsu Clan of The South. And Kurozumi Clan of The North. The four largest clans currently held the most power.

Brook's group told to Luffy's group that they had met a member of Shogun's assassin group, who was also a member of Chi Family. A handsome man with a red tattoo on his forehead. His told them a secret information that contrary to the citizens' belief, Shogun of Wano was replaced at some point by some impersonator from Beast Pirates, while the real Shogun was actually kept within Kaidou's underground prison.

From those infos, Sanji concluded that Chi and Kozuki could be treated as allies. Chi for having a highly trained representative member wanting to oppose Kaidou, and Kozuki for obvious reasons of Kozuki Oden's execution also courtesy of Kaidou. That was possibly why Otama took Momonosuke with her, to go to Kozuki Clan base for further coordination. But they couldn't find info about Godoketsu Clan. If that clan was capable of negotiating, it would make sense to oppose Kaidou instead of support him and his factories.

"By then, assuming we succeed in convincing Godoketsu, it would become three versus one. Chi, Godoketsu, Oden versus Kurozumi. We would be able to outnumber not only Shogun's Samurai army," Sanji explained, "But we can also gang up on each Calamity Commanders-

"Wait up, oi!" Zoro protested, "We're gonna beat The Calamities by outnumbering each of them? Where's the honor in that, Pervert Cook?"

"You ganged up on Mingo's crazy strings before and still got overpowered, Zoro." Luffy answered bitterly, "Each Calamity could take you on as easily as those strings, mountain-cutting Mochi-Dai Sanzen Daisen Sekai or not."

"Not Mochi-Dai! It's Ichi-Dai! But by the way, holy crap. They're that strong?" Zoro gritted his teeth. He certainly remembered that one. The crazy strings. A cage of ridiculous strings, cutting anything in its path slowly but steadily. He couldn't cut it, he couldn't push it, he couldn't slow it down, and it pushed him back instead. Doflamingo's brutal strength was backing up the strings, and Zoro hadn't completely mastered his new version of Ashura to fend it off.

"But you won against not only one, but two of them Commanders in Big Mom's island?" Zoro finally asked, curiously.

Luffy sighed, "Just barely. With much rest, food and help. Too much luck than i'd liked."

Zoro took that answer quietly. This world was really wide, and the road to be The Strongest Swordsman seemed to be among the most painful. But how painful would the path of his captain would be, with someone called The Strongest Creature as one opponent among whom Luffy had to inevitably face off against?

And Luffy muttered to himself even more quietly. He answered Zoro's inner monologue, if that was even possible,

"That's why. I have to be...something more."

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They had further discussion, with mainly Sanji and Robin going back and forth with their respective arguments against each other. They finally formulate a plan consisted of a few points. Point one, they would be divided in groups of different missions, after all of which all of them would concentrate in a number of positions to engage Kaidou and his crew simultaneously using various assaults, until victory or defeat.

Point two, Otama and Raizou was to be escorted by a certain group to negotiate with Godoketsu Clan at The Southern area of Wano land, and meet up with Sanji and Killer's group afterwards.

"A certain group to escort the brat?" Sanji asked, "Who are these guys? Can we even trust them?"

"Not to worry," Robin said, "Trafalgar Law. Heart Pirates."

"Oh. I see."

The last point in this phase of plan. Momonosuke, Kinemon, Kanjurou would gather Kozuki Clan.

Zoro interrupted again at that point, "Just three of them guarding a heir of Kozuki Clan? Assassins can jumped up at any moment, you know."

"Sheesh, you're getting way too talkative now, Zoro." Usopp commented, "It's because Luffy told you about a super strong guy, right?"

"Hmph."

"Sometimes you're not brain-dead, i see," Sanji lift one eyebrow at Zoro, "The firepower is lacking for guarding a kid as important as him. That's precisely why you will go to escort them safely to Kozuki territory, Marimo."

"Me?" Zoro pointed at his own nose, "You're out of your mind. You know about my sense of direction. And you're the one who's brain-dead!"

"Yea yea, it's like One Direction all over again."

"What's that supposed to mean…"

"I will assist you with my 'face' at your limb or stomach if necessary. That way, we can find Momonosuke's group much more easily." Robin smiled like a vampire countess baring her fangs, much to Zoro's rising fear, "Ugh. Your face on my stomach?"

"No Zoro. Don't use Robin's face or anything. Go alone." suddenly Luffy responded.

"What?"

Usopp couldn't believe what he heard. Did Luffy just tell Robin to back off from helping Zoro with directions? "Luffy, this idiot swordsman here gonna try to track them for a year without even getting out from this town. The route to the bathroom at Thousand Sunny is a challenging maze for him, so how can you suggest that cruelty?"

But then Luffy glanced at the swordsman.

And Zoro really saw it.

That there was no more trace of joke in the boy's eyes at the moment but instead a light-blue ocean. A commanding presence, a smile of trust, as the boy with the straw hat told the swordsman once more.

"Go alone. Find Momonosuke. Train your Observation, First Mate! Captain's Orders!"

Everyone turned really quiet as a strangeness grew into their bodies. And then, they could really describe what was happening. Luffy's body gave out an expansion of uplifting emotion, splashing out and filling them with raw optimism, like they can inhale as much air as possible and would still feel great without being tired. Sanji and the group couldn't feel it across the distance but the cook knew from everyone's change of mood. That was Luffy's thing.

And then it was like the swordsman's expression was slowly burning with pride. Zoro couldn't help but grinned, "Aye Aye, Captain."

And with that, the meeting had been concluded. Each group began the preparation for their respective mission.

And it was embarassing to talk about in later years, but Zoro knew for sure he deeply savored that moment, when he received a direct order from the young King.

. . . . . . .

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Trafalgar Law and the Heart Pirates was waiting at the entrance of a large cave when Otama and Raizou arrived.

"Is this the entrance?" Law asked Raizou. Raizou nodded, "Godoketsu Clan was a clan of great mystery. I'm from Chi and i'm not boasting when i say that Chi Family consists of the best assassins in the land of Wano, but-"

"Assassins? You mean ninjas, like you?" Bepo said.

The large-faced Ninja said, "Yes, Ninja is an internal term we assassins used to each other. There are groups of Ninjas within Chi Clan, but each group member doesn't know the identity of the other members, or other groups. We just cooperate and report the results to our superior. But let me tell you that even with our set of skills, finding information about Godoketsu Clan is highly difficult. Even though it's a large Clan."

"How can it be difficult to find data about a large Clan?"

Raizou rubbed his chin before answering, "They live underground. The Godo Cave here is the only known way to reach their base. And, many have tried to pass through here. They simply didn't come back."

The giant of Heart Pirate stared at the cave mouth. It was tall, almost five times his height, and its wide at least fifty times his body width. An army of humans or half-giants could easily be deployed through this kind of entrance. "So how can you say that Godoketsu is a large Clan?"

"Historians said that the clan emerged during the middle of Warring States Period, years and years ago. Their numbers were dominating. Our ancestors, the founders of Chi Clan, once fought beside them. For unknown reasons, at some point in the great war, all of them went back to their base, through this cave. And only few was seen ever since. But a significant note, none of them ever uttered a single word during the war."

"An army of mute? Or zombies?"

"The story is definitely exaggerated. An urban legend to hype the myteriousness."

Raizou turned, "I've met...a single member of Godoketsu Clan myself."

"And?"

"...He...it...it was participating in a war between smaller clans two years ago. My god, you should've seen it. His...Its whole body, it's covered with red bandage. The eyes, mouth, nose, nothing was exposed. All covered. It was shaped exactly like human, but i don't know what kind of ghost was beneath those red bandages. It was being punched, stabbed or strangled by his opponents. And he was completely mute. No verbal sign of pain, or change of expression as from what i could see which was covered by bandage. And once, a warrior broke its arm. The next second, it just moved and twisted that broken arm to slash the throat of his foe. It was like nothing could disable it."

"Welp," Bepo the Bear Mink said timidly, "Maybe we should just return and say to The Strawhats that we didn't find anything."

"Apologies, Bepo," Law said, "But i owe a big one to Strawhat-Ya. At least until the Straw-Heart Pirate Alliance finish _my_ fake promise to take on Kaidou, and make the promise a reality."

"You really think that all of us can beat that _thing_?"

"No. It would take something...more."

Bepo sighed, "Right. So we're out of logical answer on how to do that, and start to rely on fantasy."

"Bepo! You talk back to The Captain now?" the others were not happy at the slightest with that respond. But Law knew that Bepo was just getting desperate.

Bepo avoided the tension, "I get it, i get it. Let's just get it over with."

"We haven't even started anything. Let's go."

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Roronoa Zoro found the superbly effective way to find Kozuki Palace. He just had to ask as many times as possible.

"Where is Kozuki Palace?"

"At another city, eight hundred miles to the north-east."

He took a right turn just as the woman said.

"Where is Kozuki Palace?"

He took a left turn just as the man said.

"Where is Kozuki Palace?"

He took a right turn just like-

"Where is Kozuki Palace?"

"Aren't you the one who asked me two hours ago? Why are you going back here?"

"Hey. You're right. I remember your face, woman."

"Want me to help you get there? We just need a horse."

"No, my friend said that i'm not allowed to get help."

"Well, asking for directions is asking for help, Handsome. Giving directions is already a help."

"Oh crap."

"It's easy though. You see that mountain outside the city over there?"

"No, don't tell me anything. I'm sorry. Thank you."

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Two days had passed, and Zoro was still in Flower City. This time, he had been truly concentrating on his Observation Haki instead of asking for directions. But there was no trace of them as far as he know.

He stood alone in the middle of a branch road. Mihawk had told him that Armament Haki is a scabbard which doesn't reduce the sword's sharpness. It increases the sword's hardness instead, making it more damage-resistant and the attack more powerful. It comes with many forms according to the type of energy one possesses, talent, effort of specialization, and many other factors.

The swordsman also remembered something else. Koshiro, his first Teacher, said that Observation Haki is the energy that can be used to receive information outside what the eyes see, what the ears hear or what our skin touches. Some expressed as the ability to listen to or breaths voices coming from objects, some as the ability to look at images and auras coming from people's bodies. Like Armament, Observation also has many forms.

By then, Zoro didn't understand anything of what "listening to the breath of things" supposed to mean. But now, he had it. Even if Luffy said that it was weaker than that of Usopp's.

Zoro inhaled, and with the relaxed state of mind his five senses went afloat surpassing what regular sensory organs could do. He began to hear people talking hundreds, then minutes later thousands of steps away in a whole radius. He could identify the uniform color of a patrolling Samurai group, three hundred meters behind the pagoda that obscured his vision.

So, just like a sword, all he had to do was sharpen his Observation. To focus. He tried to remember, to really form an audiovisual representation what Kozuki Momonosuke looked like. His round face and posture, his newly-washed clothes, his somewhat perverted expression and high-pitched voice.

Zoro found the image in his own memory, and try to search the matching image, matching voice, among the people in the city. Minutes were spent and no result. Zoro ran ahead toward a big pagoda. Seeing the ten-story structure, the swordsman jumped a few times using the roof as his footing, until he stood atop of the purple-roofed pagoda.

And he still looked further to the limits of the cities. Minutes turned into hours without any observable result. And when the setting sun was fully replaced by stars, the swordsman began to realized something.

He was starving. And he could feel no trace of Momonosuke in this city. Since Kozuki Clan resided in another city, hundreds of miles he had been told, Momonosuke and the group should be in the start of their journey. He knew that they must had departed from the city borders. But which border? Which direction? How can he knew.

Wait, wait. The stupid Pervert Cook had boasted something back then at the Visual Denden Mushi communication. Right before the Mushi line was to be closed, after he received Luffy's command to train his Observation.

 _I can hear a woman's tears falling anywhere in this nation if i want to, Marimo. I know what i like, that's why i'm real good at it. I can locate her and know her cup size or if she's wet or dry and help her get what she needs, be it breakfast or bed. That's how good my Observation Haki is._

The Pervert Cook knew what he liked, that was why he was good at it.

That was weird. How was that statement related to his boasting about Observation?

No, Zoro realized.

It was a clue.

Both Sanji and Usopp were able to gain overwhelming Observation Haki through something they really liked, then focused on. Sanji through his passion regarding woman, and Usopp through his habit of observing the surroundings when taking an aim to shoot down his opponent.

Zoro had trained his Observation Haki incorrectly all along. He should focused on something more personal to him.

But what was he liked from Momonosuke? It was absurd. As a man, Zoro liked to see and remember the face of a beautiful woman. A good body was also acceptable, but a good face struck him more. That was clear, he just hid it well by pretending to be nonchalant. But Momo's perverse groping or playing innocent attitude wasn't something Zoro preferred to see or experience from other's perspective, no.

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Another two days without sleep. Zoro was still thinking. But he didn't even remember if Momo was holding a sword back then. He also heard from Luffy that the brat had an artificial devil fruit allowing him to change shape into a little dragon. That was quite cool. Maybe he should focused on characterizing Momonosuke based on an image of a little dragon?

And by the midnight of the sixth day,

"It's not the brat!"

Roronoa Zoro recognized what should he focused on.

Which was not even Momonosuke at all.

Kinemon instead. Kinemon and his sword, his sword technique capable of cutting fire.

Zoro held his breath, and imagined the sword of Kinemon. Its shape and pattern at the edges. Its rhythmical ringing when Kinemon swung it during a downward slash. Like a fox snatching its prey with grace, the blade came down in a motion able to separate the flames just like papersheets. And the flames, stayed separated just like solid objects.

"An exquisite technique."

At the next sip of breath, Zoro's eyes adapted to a certain coordinates of that sword's presence. A dotted line of orange color emerged, curving and twisting along a road between the city blocks before getting outside the capital itself. So this is the next stage of Observation, Zoro thought. He could track a swordsman he had met very easily now. Kinemon's trace of aura was similar to an extremely thin snake reaching to a sand dunes-

He broke focus for a second and the orange thread was gone.

"Dammit."

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Zoro tried to slow down his breathing, relaxing his stance atop the Pagoda. The winds were strong against his face and torso, and the moon looked like that an angel had just cut it in half. He saw the dotted line of energy again. Slthering around a mountain kilometers after the desert, before ended in a city smaller than The Flower Capital. There was a palace at the far east region, and inside it there was the faint figure of Kinemon, Momonosuke and Kanjurou.

 _Just follow the line, then._

 _But…_

Zoro Observed the mountain before the Kozuki City once again. Something hypnotic drew his senses back then when he followed the trail of Kinemon's presence. He couldn't help noticing it.

 _A mammoth, sitting at the top of the mountain. Two curved blades, lying close by its front feet._

 _It's...not a real mammoth._

Looking at the giant elephantine creature, what Zoro's vision caught was not the image of the creature itself. Instead, he saw rising walls of brute strength, threatening to imprison him. The swordsman shivered at what he found, for comparing this monster to his previous foe at Dressrosa, Pica of Spade, would be just like comparing an angry elephant to a hamster.

 _He's so, so strong._

Feeling the sudden danger approaching Momonosuke's group, Zoro instantly dashed down from the pagoda. Reaching the Flower Capital borders in matters of minutes, he found a wild Lion-Dog near the sand dunes and jumped at its back, turning its head and pointing at the direction. The animal roared in protest, but the swordsman glared at it and the Lion-Dog ran at maximum speed.

Zoro declared to himself while smiling at the challenge like which he rarely found before. It may cost him his life, but death would be worth it.

"A tiger will bite an elephant to the death."

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"Kong-San!"

The chair slowly turned around, revealing the extremely burly man with numerous scars exposed, "What do you want, Sakazuki?"

"I can't contact Kizaru and Fujitora! Do you happen to know anything about this?"

The man named Kong stood up to face the window behind his chair, and the vast field of grass outside, "You know. Currently, you might be powerful enough to stand your ground against a Pirate Emperor. But power doesn't always equal wisdom. Sending Fujitora to catch Strawhat Luffy and Trafalgar Law was an act of foolishness."

"Why is that, if i may ask?"

"Cipher Pols have located the pirate alliance of Strawhat and Heart Pirates."

"And?"

"They are currently in Wano. That land is where Fujitora came from."

Akainu's face changed, "I've never been informed about this! His data only mention that he's recruited from a New World City called Hana no Miyako!"

Kong's voice suddenly boomed, "Then you haven't been paying attention to what Tsuru said in the compulsory class of Admiral candidates, Boy! International History and Geography of Military Importance!"

Akainu still tried to grasp as to what was going on. Kong continued speaking in a calmer manner, as if trying to give himself patience, "Hana no Miyako, Flower Capital, is the capital of Wano, a nation held by Kaidou. An evil god who ram through Marineford by himself for suicide attempt. The same evil god who, in his budding age of twenty-five, had personally beaten Monkey D. Garp at his prime twenty-years ago!"

"It took you, Kong-San, and Sengoku to capture him."

"Yes. You must have witnessed it."

"Who could forget the single defeat of Garp The Hero since never before, and never after. Yes, back then as a Vice-Admiral. We were occupied with treating Garp-San, repairing the damage, and rescuing whomever we could."

"And he escaped anyway ten years later, while the two of us was busy discussing his fate after hundreds of failed attempt to execute him," Kong replied with slight envy, "Probably bored because we couldn't kill him after all. Breaking the chains of seastone with his teeth. It's unreal."

"Kaidou would be in his prime age now."

"Yes, he's at the very peak of his power."

"Then, it would be impossible to take over Wano from him. Strawhat Luffy and Trafalgar Law is going to their own funeral."

"It's not impossible."

"What do you mean?"

"Kaidou has no such thing as a cleverness or strategy. He just lives to fight. It's his First Mate who controls wars and territories."

"So you reckon Strawhat and his alliances would manage to trick him somehow? Poison him, trap him?"

"It's possible. Out of other methods, Kaidou is relatively weak to poison, sleeping gas, manipulation, anything other than combat. A really powerful venom might kill him from the inside. But that is not the point. Issho had contacted me, and he said that he's on his way to liberate Wano, his home."

"If Strawhat takes part in any way to help him liberating Wano-"

"Then out of debt, Issho would never even try to capture him. Ever. That's why, Sakazuki, i instruct Borsalino to back him up. Issho can play hero all he wants, but Borsalino is a guy who gets the job done."

"Two Admirals at once."

"But no other. A Black Ops. Kizaru's objective is to dispose Strawhat personally."

"But i've been informed that Charlotte Linlin and her forces are also on their way to Wano-"

"Big Mom. Yes, our men have reported. Charlotte Linlin and Kaidou have some relations in the past as a temporary cabin boy and cabin girl of a long-disbanded pirate crew, Lox Pirates. I reckon she has some unfinished business with Kaidou."

"You don't anticipate the possibility of an alliance between the two monsters, Kong-San?"

"No. Unlike Red-Hair and Whitebeard who were somewhat on a friendly terms with each other, these two brutes don't even negotiate. If they are going to meet each other, it would result in one or both of them being killed."

"I've thought the same thing. So you specifically ordered Kizaru to not interfere with their meeting, but to just capture Strawhat and Trafalgar Law?"

"Getting to arrest the Surgeon of Death and even Big Mom is a welcome addition. Kizaru had asked me myself to allow him to capture Charlotte Linlin if the opportunity ever arrives. I gave him the permission."

"You mean when the fight between two Emperors is over, and they were both unconsciouss or dead. That is the kind of opportunity you give permission to Kizaru about."

"Yes. To tread lightly. That's why it's an addition and not a main priority. The sole utmost objective is the disposal of Monkey D. Luffy."

Akainu felt something odd by that statement, "Specifically to kill him? Not even options to arrest him?"

Kong contemplated something for a bit. Then slowly, he said something to Akainu. Watching his expression, Akainu affirmed that no one else was to be allowed the information of what he was going to say, "The order came from above. Garp, Sengoku, and even me have no say in this."

"The Gorosei?"

"Above."

And there was silence. It was creeping all the way to Sakazuki's neck.

"What the hell, Kong-San." Akainu's face slowly became pale when the layers of the world he thought he knew all along began to crack, those layers that were only a surface, revealing something sinister underneath.

"You are not serious. How can there be...something above the Gorosei."

But Kong, The Military Chief of World Government, had no change of expression.

"There is. He is. Above."

"...Who?"

"The Light of This World."

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"Robin, where's Luffy?" Usopp asked Robin who was in the middle of the guesthouse's living room.

"Still in his bedroom," Nico Robin answered, "He told me before not to come close to his room."

"I remember that, but it's been past a week," Usopp anxiously replied, "That's nine days without any food or water. What's going on to Luffy?"

"I think he's training."

"Without even coming out from his room? Without even any audible sound? Really, Robin. Luffy breaks mountains and even islands now. You remember King Kong Gun? Citizens of Dressrosa was real lucky. Because if he does hit an island directly with that giant compressed fist-"

"It breaks apart more thoroughly than a faint heart after unrequited first love. But, LongNose-Kun-"

"What do you know about heartbreaks, Robin? Wait, what?"

"Captain-San is somewhat different now. Whenever he hears Kaidou's name, his eyes will be like-"

"Like someone who's becoming drowned in insanity."

"Yes, but also like he's longing. It's like that name, Kaidou, is his reason for living. The kinds of things Luffy trains for right now...i think we don't even know what to call them."

"Will he die, Robin? Will Luffy die?"

Robin closed her eyes. All of them, the eyes that surveyed the palace and city bridges and the slums, she closed them all. Her head was ringing due to three-day sleep deprivation, maybe she should sleep now while there was no major incidents at Wano's critical spots. But she thought about Usopp's question. Not about how he seemed worried about Luffy's death, he did that all the time.

"You're worried if he actually wins."

Usopp seemed surprised by Robin's statement. But it was Robin after all. She knew how to read people more easily than reviewing a book.

Usopp blurted out, "Yes. What would he become, Robin? If he actually pulls off winning, and what's next? Becoming an Emperor? With rookie pirates wanting to join him? How will i even adapt to a situation where hundreds of people want to become a Strawhat? It felt distant back then, but it's coming. And then what? Admirals coming for him? Zoro and Sanji protecting the rest of us due to us becoming a hindrance? What will all of us become, Robin?"

"If he actually wins…" Robin opened her eyes and stared at Usopp. She was quietly smiling when she said this answer, an answer that scattered Usopp's uncertainty away.

"Then we know, just how the world will know, that we are serving the rightful King."

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	3. Chapter 2 - His Leg, His Life

Time for battle, i hope you're not disappointed in my interpretation of our badass Pirate Hunter Marimo.

One Piece Fanfiction

 _ **The Path of King**_

 **2\. His Legs, His Life**

Zoro kept his slow pace, his grip tightened at his sword as the large animal before him began to change shape, the heav coating of fur being sucked away into the pores of rough skin. Completing the change, the half-giant stood at a small hilltop cliff above the swordsman.

"Spit out your clan and intention." Jack the Drought said dryly. The green-haired man held his actions for a moment, thinking what to tell.

"You seem prehistoric."

"What?"

"Nevermind that," Zoro chuckled to himself as he realized that he was actually nervous in front of the half-giant. Something like this only occured whenever he met someone certainly stronger than himself. It just took Roronoa two seconds to realize that this man, twice as tall and large as himself, had a breathing so slow he may as well be a Ticulian Bear hibernating in its cave. _His heart and blood circulation...never seen anyone with such an efficient energy metabolism before_.

Finally he shrugged, "You waste your time sitting here. Kozuki Momonosuke and Firefox Kinemon are already arrived at Kozuki Palace."

Jack's expression abruptly changed, "How do you know those two names?"

"I'm…" Zoro responded to that question in his head first. _So he couldn't recognize or track their presence using Observation like i did. Meaning i'm at least somewhat better in that field._

 _Right. Begin now._

"-friends with those two." the swing of Jack's sickle sword crush the top of the hill into a hundred-yard crater but Zoro already at the right side of Jack's waist after stepping in.

"Draw-Resheath Technique-"

He chose to close the distance instead of jumping away, his grip over the hilt of Sandai so hard that blood vessels were visible all over his left shoulder to his knuckles, black Armament flowing along his left arm through Sandai Kitetsu which was one breath away from its release from its scabbard.

"Lion's Song of Death, Blue Notation!"

Just like a strong, swift breeze, Zoro had already appeared at the other side of Jack's towering body with Sandai back to its sheath. The giant opponent seemed to pause at a moment, before the skin of his shoulder and wrist torn apart with blood bursting like crazy.

"You have brains," Jack applauded coldly, seeing the drench of blood from his limb. Even though he had managed to block the strike using his sickle, apparently that little sword's trajectory had been a twisted figure of eight. His parrying arm was viciously bitten. _He was able to struck me before my Armament full release?_ "-And speed."

"Thanks. You think it's enough for us?"

" 'Us'?" Jack lightly figured out the clue, "You lot want to go to suicide, making an alliance with trashes of Kozuki remnants to challenge the Beast Pirates?"

Zoro observe his opponent's breathing again as he answered, "Challenge? You've got it all wrong. There's a true heir to this country. My Captain must see to it that the heir get what he deserves."

As Jack suffered the blow from the first blood, Roronoa suffered a different kind of blow instead. Luffy, the idiot boy with genius battle technique, practically said that it was really lucky to walk out winning against an Emperor's First Commander. And the masked half-giant in front of him was one of Commanders. Zoro didn't have the luxury to be cute and holding back like last fights at Punk Hazard and Dressrosa. It was live or die, here.

His intention was to disable The Drought in a battle of attrition instead of aiming for fatal blow from the start, considering the half-giant's limbs and torso was much easier to reach than carotid artery due to their large difference in height and stature. He had attacked with a stronger, even more complex version Lion's Song of Death to get maximum advantage in endurance battle.

But still the bones of Zoro's hand rattled, remembering the force of just Jack's own flesh and bones defending against his Sandai. _God fucking damn him and his Armament._

The half-giant move forward, getting faster at each step.

"He who is worthy, is now a ruler. The little heir only deserves death."

"You mean Orochi, The Shogun? Or Kaidou?"

As the answer, both of Jack's sickles went downward to pincer Zoro's neck. Koshirou's disciple rotate his torso to avoid the curved blades but the two sickle united their track into a counter-upward thrust. Instinctively knowing that his muscle's Armament wouldn't be able to defend against the large sickle, Zoro hastily spinned to the side but the sickle's side grazed his abdomen. Blood scratched the air followed by pulsing pain, but Roronoa forced himself to grin instead. Because Sensei told him. To win against the top swordsmen, he must enjoy pain.

Jack chuckled, "Orochi is the one managing the country. Master Kaidou is the one ruling."

"So he just does what he wants. Without any responsibility for well-being of the citizens." Zoro concluded.

"Well-being?" Now Jack was really laughing as he pursue Zoro's life. The tone of disbelief whether anyone should even care about the citizens' life, was the trigger of Zoro being genuinely pissed of. The next hundred motion of attack, block and evasion took the duration of a few tens of seconds after. Bright sparks tear at every clash of blades and after the next 30 minutes the hill itself had finally been sliced away by both fighters, into hundreds of giant stone pieces.

 _Shit_. Losing their battleground and forced to jump to the outskirts Kozuki City, Zoro must grip his Observation as strong as he could just to step away from each swing of his foe. Jack 's body coordination was so solid he didn't even seem to care about his sudden lack of footing after they destroyed that hill, that hulking mass of fierce half-giant leaped from one hurled stone to the next, closing the distance through the air as easily as being on the ground. And when their swords met, four hundred meters above the ground, Zoro was too busy defending and evading. He couldn't attack without proper grounding as preparation, and risking it to attack anyway with his opponent being this much more used to aerial swordfight, would cost him his visceral organs being spilled at the ground anytime.

Finally they landed on the ground along with all the gravel from the hill. The series of tremors due to the hill falling apart shook the grounds of Kozuki City, but no one came out. It was possible that the citizens already knew the danger of stepping into the battle zone. Or Kinemon had warned them about this. Whichever it was, Roronoa could now solely focus on beating this bastard.

Or so he thought. After another two hours later, Zoro actually found himself being pushed back at almost all direct clash against those sickles. His daily training at Sunny casually involved power-lifting some 100-ton weight or more with hundreds of repetitions, but now his hand felt numb going against the raw strength of Jack's swings. It funnily felt like he was an average adult trying to stop a charging bull on testosterone and adrenaline rush. It was a miracle that Zoro was able to last five hours against this lunatic.

Only Admirals and Warlords had sufficient power to corner him. But it was clear now that this half-giant with metallic jaw mask was comparable to those monsters. It was ridiculous. _That Pica of Spade in Dressrosa can become a stone golem the size of a city, but this guy here is easily ten..no, twenty times more powerful._

Zoro was forced to use tactics from the start, but it was barely enough. Jack the Drought swoop low with his curved blade, the sound of wind being sliced threatened to decapitate the little human. But using the offensive momentum to his favor, Roronoa inhaled and maximally draw his sword-gripping arms behind his body, focusing himself in a self-affirmation technique to enhance his arm strength. "First Gorilla! Second Gorilla!"

Spinning his body inches way from the tip of Jack's sweeping sickle sword, the green-haired swordsman arrived at the place two steps closer to his opponent's abdomen. Then, he did something he had never done before: combining the muscle-strengthening buff with a highest-level branch of Three Sword Technique.

"Asura Vritra!" by the spell, Zoro's bloodlust manifested itself to the physical realm. Not like before with doppelgangers of him, not at all.

Instead, Zoro's figure became enveloped inside of a massive demon with three faces, its body dark green and twice as large as Jack. Standing with an offensive stance exactly like Zoro himself who was in the center of its body, it had nine arms which each held a burning sword of pure blue fire. This was Vritra, the king of Asuras that would subjugate the Devas in Eastern myths.

"Vritra's Flame Dragon Twister!" The earth became pivot to his roots as Zoro began to spin from his wide stance. All of his physical and elemental swords blurs into hundreds of centrifugal slashes creating a temporary vacuum, pushing the air currents into a tornado of bluish flaming wind blades with miles-wide circumference.

Yet, his opponent was anything but ordinary. At the first fifteen minutes of being the receiving end of centrifugal storm created by twelve fiery swords, Jack stood still with his pair of sickles crossed in front of his chest, transferring his manifested willpower as a multi-layered shell of Armament all over his enormous body. Taking advantage of the intervals in gradually subduing slashes, the Calamity grinned.

Stepped forward to welcome the killing fire twister instead, the half giant transformed just his head into partial Zoan form. As a result, he became a minotaur with mammoth head. The trunk snout in the center of his face transformed into the third, large straight tusk, making the tusks formation similar to a giant trident. And to Zoro's shock, from Jack's right and left shoulder emerged the second and third mammoth head with the same trident tusk formation. A being even more horrifying both in appearance and instruments of killing, Jack The Drought released the next level of his power.

"Valley of The Dead!" Jack's three mammoth heads repeatedly swung like a giant pendulum, sturdily blocking most of Zoro's slashes using his gigantic tusks packed with multi-shelled Armament bright bronze in color. Even the flaming tornado was gradually diverted after being countered by such destructive movement. The massive blue whirlwind side-tracked and consumed a snowy mountain that obstruct its path, and the mountain was shredded and burned in blue fire in matter of seconds.

But then in an odd timing, that monstrous pendulum of mammoth tusks suddenly elevated its angle into a more horizontal trajectory. In one breath, Jack had changed his defense into an attack and Zoro barely saw it coming with the corners of his eyes thus he brought all twelve swords to block. But the attack proved to bring more weight than a falling mountain.

"Rrgghh!" Zoro felt his bones breaking upon sudden impact of his defense being deflected away, and then his ribs and lungs being crushed. His body received the blow and get thrown away at breakneck speed, making a hole in another towering mountain at the east and blasted into the core of the structure.

His fatigued body was on the verge of dying. He could not see and he could not even breathe. His heart may had stopped since a minute ago.

But Zoro found some strange peace inside the stones and earth that compressed him. He just faintly heard Jack's mocking voice.

"To think that there's still a rebellion against Master Kaidou. You have guts, little human. You and your friends."

The swordsman was surely aware of his surroundings. Being inside Asura Vritra stalled his death at this moment. Zoro saw Jack's vitality and health - _how is that possible? -_ instead of his physical body. And Zoro saw some kind of a hole at Jack's diaphragm lining.

"But i'll eat you, and i'll eat your friends too."

Jack's further threats was clearly heard, but Zoro just stared at the hole. Not a tangible hole. A hole of decreased vitality, most lacking in Armament Haki and regeneration. Jack couldn't heal it by some reason.

Zoro didn't know that it was the spot where Zuunisha, The Walking Elephant Island, had previously hit Jack with most of the strength of its trunk. But what Zoro knew, was just that he had found the weakness he must cut.

"Not if i kill you here."

A blue flicker. From the truncated mountain, that massive green demon emerged, bringing all of his flaming swords into Zoro's ultimate attack. A fiery blue storm of rage and killing. The Drought welcomed the attack by his own strongest move, each of the heads aim to hack different organs in Zoro's body, like three rivers bringing a deluge.

"Asura Vritra's One Billion Worlds!"

"Sea of The Dead!"

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Without warning, Vinsmoke Sanji slumped to the ground. Chopper immediately checked for unconsciousness, heart irregularities and vision disturbance. But the reindeer's heart jumped for the second time as Sanji jumped back to his feet even faster and clenched his fists in satisfaction.

"Yeeeah! Take that, you frrreak!"

"What are you doing, Sanjiii?!"

Sanji stared back at Chopper, Brook, Killer and the rest of Kidd Pirates, "I think...that idiot Marimo won."

"Won? Zoro? Whom did he fight against anyway?"

Sanji tried to tell them, "The image was blurry, but i'm sure i saw the cursed sword, Shusui, chopping three mammoth heads of a giant, mutated monster."

"What!?" It was killer who realizes, "Your friend killed Jack The Drought!?"

"You mean one of Kaidou's Commander? The bastard that tortured the Minx chiefs in Zou?"

"I'm not sure, but he's the only Mammoth Zoan in Kaidou's beast crew."

"I see…" Sanji nodded slowly, predicting the mess that would follow this incident caused by that idiot Green Hair.

"When did he kill that Commander again?" Nami asked curiously.

"Just now."

Brook scratched his head, "How do you know all this when you're with us, Sanji-San?"

Nami folded her arms, "Come to think of it, you were silent since our meeting back then. So it was..."

"Yes, i was 'watching' the whole time." Sanji explained, "I get real intense headache just from focusing my Haki for that kind of duration and distance. But due to my knack for Observation, i could visually track the Marimo idiot and get bird's eye view of the fight. Well, bird's eye view with cataract disease would be more precise, since i only saw a green shadow equipped with three swords, fighting against that mammoth-shaped silhouette. I was sure the green energy was getting weaker and weaker, but then it keep hitting with full strength until the mammoth aura burned out."

"You mean now you can almost do surveillance like Princess Viola of Dressrosa, but without needing to eat an actual Devil Fruit." Franky concluded, "Just with Observation Haki. That's...super."

"Yeah, it seemed to get stronger since i was constantly at guard for enemies during all the mess at Whole Cake Island and a while after. seems like i won't be able to use it again for a while. But at least i know that we've gotten an early advantage in the war."

Killer was astonished as he stared at Sanji. Not only he never knew anyone with Observation Haki so strong that it can function as a nation-wide visual tracking device, but out there at Kozuki City there was another exceptionally strong ally who had killed an Emperor's Commander, something he thought only his captain, Eustass Kidd, could do. This was big. It was possible that they could...

"So where is Zoro now?"

"Some people had found him and bring him into Kozuki City. And-shit." Sanji stopped talking for a full minute.

"Sanji." Nami called slowly, "What's going on?"

"The aura keep fading away. That idiot's gonna die soon."

Chopper turned pale, but only for three seconds as he took a deep breath and asked, "Where is Kozuki City?"

The blond cook answered, "I can show you, but-"

Killer informed them of the truth, "Kozuki City is more than nine hundred miles to the east! It's already too late!"

But the little reindeer snapped, "I'm going!"

When it comes to saving lives, especially of his closest friends, there was no stopping Tony Tony Chopper.

Sanji went silent and gave a short reply, "Fine. You ride at my back, i'll run."

"...run?"

Franky interjected while handing a black tube to Chopper, "It would take some time to build a Franky-Copter but at least take this. It's the raid suit from Germa earlier. I modified it to have a kid-size mode. For you, Doctor Chopper."

"Sanji needs it more than i do! He's the one that's gonna run for miles!"

Sanji just shooked his head and beckoned Chopper to his back, "Franky is right. The safety of the doctor is the most important. Besides, i don't need any of Vinsmoke disgusting tech. Here, piggyback ride, Doctor."

"How fast can you get there?" Chopper asked, already picturing in his head numerous versions of time-based advanced trauma life support methods related to provided facilities the Kozuki City possibly had.

"Twenty."

"Look, even if you can bring me across a distance of practically a thousand miles within twenty hours - just like a sea train would - i must tell you beforehand that, medically, Zoro's has no chance of survival. Within just an hour, the bleeding alone would deprive the heart and brain of tissue oxygen reserve. Even if we manage to get there within ten hours with a superior mode of transportation…"

Sanji inhaled and said,

"-Minutes"

"Holy shit."

"A thousand miles by 20 minutes on foot?!"

Nami quickly pulled Sanji's shoulders closer, already rejecting the idea itself. "That's suicide, Sanji. Your body wouldn't hold. I won't allow two crewmates being dead."

But the words didn't even reach Sanji's ears as he kept explaining to the little reindeer: "Two conditions. One, no talking while we're running. Two, by the time we get there, you may have to rescuscitate me too."

"Deal. Best of luck, Chef." There wasn't even a pause.

"Thanks, Doctor."

After that, there were no more words as Chopper hopped to Sanji's back and clutched his neck. One push at the button and the black tube transformed into a small robotic suit fitting itself automatically over Chopper's body.

"You two can't-" The female Navigator could no longer say anything of influence now. Because Sanji's gaze already locked to Kozuki City with an face that Nami knew all too well. It was Bellemere's face, just a second before her death in the hands of Arlong. It was a face that would pay any price to protect someone indispensable.

"Wind WALK!"

A deafening sound erupted from Kidd Pirates hideout. A black silhouette leaped away, too fast for their vision to catch.

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Even wearing the small Raid Suit and with two prophylaxis Rumble Balls to increase his vitality during the Wind Walk, Chopper felt his eyes burning and watery from the first minute. The scenery had already turned more and more obscure due to their speed, and he could feel the cold wind entering his head and front hooves.

It was running but it was not. Sanji literally ran on the air like a missile. His feet continuously tapped at the air and by each of the tap his speed keep increasing, until his movement of flying felt like a fast-forwarded movie. The wind treated them like an invisible wall of concrete smashing them whole body. Chopper was relatively fine, it was his protective Raid Suit that was furiously cracked open by the wind's opposing slap. But he couldn't imagine what kind of physical burden Sanji had to endure by his aerial running alone.

So after the first fifty miles or so, The Doctor of Strawhat Pirates cried. He couldn't stand seeing Sanji's skin turning a deep shade of purple due to severe lack of oxygen within his muscles. But most of all, he couldn't stand the blank expression that Sanji put in his face during the whole distance.

But not even Doctor Chopper had nothing to argue against this. Sanji had decided what to do. That idiot with green hair had suffered the most to save Luffy's life at Thriller Bark, and now he still wanted to jump head-first into his death?

 _My turn, Asshole._

It was by that anger, something unpredictable occured. Slick red undulations of energy emerged, covering Sanji's legs like swirling waves.

 _What the fuck, Armament Haki can even be marinated in Red Wine?_

But The Chef quickly adapted to the unpredictable change in his Armament energy. This may be something he actually needed to pull off getting there in time.

 _Let's see-_

Sanji felt his legs getting less numb. He relaxed and composed his mind. The liquid red Armament spread along his body surface, intoxicating just like a flood of red wine would. And as Sanji moved, he felt the wind friction against him simply _gone_. The air felt nothing like an invisible wall anymore but instead it became a slippery tunnel, opening just in the right places and guiding Sanji's body to swim forward.

 _Good. It's just my life against his remaining time, now._

"Wine WALK!"

By this, Sanji's run slipped past the sonic barrier. His body soared, with five until finally ten times the speed of sound. The sensasion of pain, of his muscle being ripped away due to his own movement, of his body getting more dead rather than living, was so brotherly romantic he almost vomited there and then. Betting his legs, betting his life. To pull back Roronoa Zoro from the jaws of death.

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One month later, the hidden, decomposed body of Jack The Drought was found in an unnamed lake, and identified by a search party of Shogun. This caused an uproar within The Beast Pirates as the actual ones in power, and Shogun gave a direct order to use any means necessary to punish the ones responsible for this huge treason to the Wano country.

Military armies were deployed and burned cities and villages to the ground. Ninja groups entered the Clan's family houses and investigate the family heads in brutal tortures and takings of hostage. Startled by this abrupt development, Strawhat Alliance had to adapt to the enemy. play hide-and-seek just to search for food rations or finding isolated terrains to build their bases on. But apparently the ruling enemies bared their bloodlust even more, as the next month The Shogunate decreed to use the country's military missile and cannon bombardments on the cities or suburbs that were suspected of treason or allying with the rebels that had killed Jack. The fury of Beast Pirates were fully displayed as smoke and fire were rising from all corners of the country, and the dead bodies of citizens covered the grounds of Wano like carpets of horror.

The Strawhat Pirates had decided the moment to fight back. Even though Law hadn't been returning from mysterious area of Godoketsu, hey had their allies in Kozuki and Chi Cities, the only sturdy Cities that had their own strong military armies to at least have a chance at surviving against the projectile bombardments.

But The Strawhat Alliance had to do it all, with their Captain suddenly missing.

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The first thing he saw through the foggy darkness was a white flat surface. It disappear for the next few hours, but when it came back it became clearer that he was seeing the white ceiling of the infirmary. The anesthetics smelled awful, but he knew therelaxing aromatherapy. It was the familiar combination of Sandalwood and Mahogany that their Doctor often used in their ship, Thousand Sunny.

"Ch-Chh..pp-Chhopp-"

"I'm here. Close your eyes again, save your voice." Chopper's reply was calm, filled with years of experience of treating the patient. "You're past the most critical stage. It's okay to breathe and blink. But don't move your head yet. Your meals and drinks are still mechanically assisted by Franky's digestive robo-tubes, so don't worry about being thirsty."

Doctor Chopper! another voice was heard from the intercom, Apparently the experimental brainstem regenerative medication works best by trans-meningeal route like you've predicted. This pharmacological agent you've formulated is...amazing.

"So i've thought. I've seen the restored brain parenchymal tissue, it's 30% functional and six more weeks should result in maximum result of 65%. How's the status of kidneys and heart?"

[...Blood demand, oxygen saturation, and hydration status have gradually ameliorated. The liver transferases as well..." the paramedics seemed to slow their speech down by a bit.

Chopper didn't miss that. "I said, the kidneys and heart."

"A-hem. Well, the kidneys are viable. The heart is…"

"You just said the oxygen saturation has gradually ameliorated and you have doubts about cardiac blood supply? Check for micro-infarctions left in inferior and posterior myocardium and residual damage in his cerebellum, adjust your sympathetic nerve drugs based on those yourself, since i'm not familiar to the types of neurotransmitter-targeting drugs provided here." The reindeer's words began to heat up. He was annoyed by the uncertainty in the anesthesiologist's tone. This was Zoro. The one protecting them during most wars and gruesome assassinations. Without his hands on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji, Luffy and any of them may have died in any of those various sieges and islands during their past visit.

"Yes, thank you for the concise guide, Doctor Chopper."

Hearing all that, Zoro closed his eyes tightly for quite a moment, before staring at the ceiling again with apparent gloom over his expression. But Chopper easily noticed. It was an apology of being a burden.

The Doctor clicked his tongue, "Apologizing won't make me happy, you idiot. Just rest and don't disturb the healing process, let the medical team take care of you."

With those words and calming slow steps, the reindeer Doctor walked out of the room. He then walked across the hospital's ward to visit another room. As faint heavy poundings were heard from the outside of the hosiptal, Chopper entered the room, and slowly sit to the floor while leaning on the walls. He stared at the center of the room, his tired eyes began to be glassy with tears.

"It's been six months since you rescued Zoro. And he's awake now. He's fine. So...won't you wake up...Sanji?"

The one Chopper stared at was a large vertical tube. Its walls tempered glass, filled full with green liquid. Vinsmoke Sanji was floating unconscious in that grass-colored waters, a breathing mask over his nose and mouth, intravenous devices supplying drugs and various fluids through the veins in his wrists, and a screen outside the tube monitoring his vital signs.

He had no knees, calves, or feet anymore. The only things left from his legs were his thighs. Both of his lower legs had already been amputated.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." Chopper started to sniff. He remembered the way Sanji locate Zoro in this supposedly secret underground hospital using superior Observation Haki so automatically, like a reflex. And the way he opened the door of Zoro's Intensive Care Unit room ever so silently in order not to cause disruptive noise, even though he had to muster all of his strength just to remain standing with the bones of his feet falling apart to the floor as charred black crumbs, no different from charcoal. And the way he allowed himself to collapse and enter vegetative state, only after directly glancing at Zoro's figure.

Chopper's sniff slowly became a whistle-like bellow that signified the crying of a little animal offspring, like a fawn searching for his lost brother. The poundings outside became louder, and this time they were followed with loud screeches and some closer, larger objects cracking. The Doctor wiped away his tears and snot, and after a final sniff, his face completely revert back to practiced relaxation, a figure whom the patients can always depend on. Chopper then hurriedly walked out to the northern hospital corridor, towards the cracking sound that went louder, wilder. And after twenty ticks of the clock,

A strange figure broke through the hospital ceiling. It lightly jumped down to the floor, its humanoid body without skin and exposing raw red muscle and tendons. Its eyes were nothing more than hollow cavity, and Chopper saw that its mouth had no teeth or tongue.

"Your intrusion disturbs my patient." Chopper said to the skinless humanoid, now coldly.

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 _The unusual happened within the latest ten years. The citizens didn't expect that a foreign swordsman would arrive alone in Wano by riding a little boat, and beat all assassins aiming at him. His intention, he said, was to learn about the Wano swordsmanship here and meld it with his own. His actions, on the other hand, seemed to aim to prove his own worth by beating the strongest of Wano Samurai. With his destructive feint-thrusts and overhead slash patterns unfamiliar to Samurai's discipline of swordsmanship, many warriors, bounty hunters, and even the Samurai army members issued a formal challenge to him. But they didn't expect it either that the man with sharp sideburns, a huge paladin's broadsword, and a knack for black coffee, would best the Chief of Shogun's main army, The Blind Swordsman Issho, in a duel at Nadeshiko Temple._

 _Wano had almost no knowledge regarding the outside. So they didn't know about the identity of the handsome foreign swordsman or what his hawk-sharp golden eyes signified. They also didn't know that he was a sole prince of Kuraigana island, and also one of Seven Warlords of The Sea: Dracule Mihawk._

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 _The match result shocked the ministers in Shogunate. Highly impressed, The Shogun waited for Mihawk to fully recuperate. After a period of one year, the shogun arranged a personal secret match of himself against the Hawkeye in a confined location._

 _It was an isolated dojo built at a peak of Hiei Mountain. The dojo itself was personally built by Kozuki Oden from raw Apolon Sake, a type of liquid mineral not found anywhere else in the world. It was also used to make Poneglyph, ancient scriptures containing messages and history due to its durability when treated properly. Once the liquid mineral was oxidized by a lower temperature then it would phase as an intermediate stage as soft as clay. It would stay in the stage for the span of two hours, during which anyone could sculpt any picture or write message at the surface. After that, it would reach maximum hardness similar to a diamond. Thus the choice of Apolon Sake as material was a precise order from The Shogun in order to preserve the damage that would be exerted by the two combatants, just inside the dojo._

 _No one was to document the match, and the only witnesses were two men. Issho as the Chief of Samurai Elites. And the Chief of The Shogun's most prized assassin group._

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"It's a fine facility." the Skinless replied. Chopper had this weird thought that he had heard its voice before somewhere. It spoke with a surprisingly clear pattern of speech despite its lack of vocal instruments, "After tens of years. Who would've ever thought that the Kozuki City's military fortress is an underground structure, built directly under the lowest basement of Kozuki castle? It's even large enough to have its own first-class hospital and all the advanced medical equipment."

 _Not just anywhere. At Wano. I've heard its voice before, at Wano._

. The walls in the each of three hospital wings opened, revealing batches of elite Kozuki swordsmen from the secret door that immediately surrounded the humanoid, Kinemon guiding from the east wing and Kanjurou from the west. The Samurai's leader appeared from the opposite direction, an old man wielding unnaturally thin and long curved sword. Chopper could sense the old man's great strength and fighting experience just from glancing at his steps. But the intruder wasn't seem to be phased and kept commenting, "I thank you for your participation in taking the Blood Vow, Reindeer. It saved me the work of tracking the rebels' hidden facilities."

 _The Blood Vow? Isn't it-back then, wasn't that pretty man's..._

As if confirming Chopper's suspicion, the figure's face changed. Like growing plants, teeth and tongue sprouted inside its mouth along with eyeballs and eyelids in his previously hollow eye cavity. Skin layers spread like a carpet over his contorted face, until it became the face of a pale beautiful man with V-shaped jaw. It was the face of the exact man who previously negotiated with Chopper, Brook, and Franky, to agree about the conspiration to murder Kaidou.

Seeing all this, the elite swordsmen automatically took a stance into a defensive army formation. They knew that pretty face more than anyone. And it was their leader's words that brought Choper to realize-

"How reckless for you to invade this place just by yourself...Chief of Wano Shogunate's Assassins. As well as Kaidou's Commander, Queen of The Plague."

 _What!?_

-that all the talk about that pretty man wanting to topple Kaidou, all the threat towards the Strawhat to cooperate, it was part of a trick to identify the rebellion's base location through The Blood Vow as some type of tracking method. With Chopper, the taker of the Blood Vow, as its main pawn.

Queen started chuckling, "Building an underground military fortress just to strike back. I have guessed that some people of Kozuki family members have some grudge against us. But to think that the entire Kozuki Clan and City is already this devoted and prepared for war against the legitimate, ruling government? It's surely going to be a refreshing change against the routine."

The Doctor of Strawhat Pirates answered with a transformation, his furry body becoming tall and lean like a marathon athlete, but his branched horns thickened and elongated until they were larger than his own body. "I have to ask you to leave immediately, by verbal agreement or force."

"If you say so." Queen, the humanoid skinless monster, replied with a soft smile. "I'll leave and bring all of your heads as a prize to The Blessed Ruler."


	4. Chapter 3 - Schemes

We're getting into the plot points now, i hope it's not too convoluted. Enjoy!

One Piece Fanfiction

 _ **The Path of King**_

 **3\. The Schemes**

 _Trafalgar Law and Heart Pirates entered Godoketsu Cave. Suspiciously, they had no obstacles until arriving at the other side. They quickly brace themselves for battle, as they saw that what spread before them was a cliff. an almost perfectly square pit, the size of a small city, and hundreds of meters deep into the dark subterranean. At each levels of depth, horizontal layers upon layers of man-made stone floor…_

" _Indeed, those stone floors are functioned as shelves."_

" _...Shelves? As in shelves to put books and stuff?"_

" _No…" Law corrected himself. "My [Room] detects heaps of humanoid compartmentalized necrotic tissues inside."_

" _Necrotic, humanoid…" the giant crew thought about it, "You mean the stone floors are used to store dead bodies, Captain?"_

 _Law nodded and analyzed the large cliff further using his Devil Fruit ability,_

" _Those floors...are coffins. All this in front of us, is a giant tomb."_

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" _The corpses are...what is this..each of them have identical body structure?!"_

 _Transporting himself using [Room], Law started wearing surgical gloves on the nearest corpse in the stone floors._

" _There was no skin on the corpse," Law glanced at the first and the other corpses beside it, a long line of dead bodies lying side-by-side until approximately a kilometer long, at each floor. "No smell of decomposed tissue regardless of obvious necrotic muscle."_

 _Law made ability-assisted incision using his long scalpel. Within seconds, he extracted the brain and heart tissues from it. And even from gross anatomical observation, Law spot a major anomaly. As they were floating in the air, various beams released from Law's portable monitor and went over the organs. The sensory beams then formed a series of graphs, depicting quantified images and parameters and translated into histological, pathology and forensic analysis._

" _The organs...color and texture, the flow of blood...they displayed the viability of a living human. It's not possible for a corpse to have this contradiction compared to its necrotic, long-decayed muscle."_

 _This place was becoming more and more suspicious._

" _I must work together with Tony Tony Chopper regarding complete identification. Is The Strawhat's Doctor still in hidden southern base?"_

" _Strawhat's Sniper, Usopp, told me via Den-Den Mushi that Doctor Chopper has departed 3 days ago to Kozuki City to retrieve their crew."_

" _...Fine. You all, stay here and keep watch. Take turns searching for food outside the cave. From my assessment, Doctor Chopper would have methods to formulate this type of tissue preservation...and even restoration. If he can make it, it would be extremely useful in times of war."_

 _Before the Heart Pirates Crew could respond, Law had vanished, transporting himself to the outside using [Room]._

" _Cap! You left us here with those dead bodies!?"_

" _So much for the leader of Heart Pirates, What a heartless Captain."_

After a while, the bickering eventually stopped.

"Shh! What's that?" Bepo warned his friends upon a certain sound. Faintly at first, but then everyone remaining on the tomb could really hear it.

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It was the reason for the two-month pause in civilian bombardment. King, The First Calamity, who was placed as the real leader 'instead' of The Shogun, receive an emergency call for help from their coastline. King's expression began to tense and harden after receiving a visual access of what caused that breach in Wano's outermost defense line. A living, smiling battleship, equipped with cannons shooting on their own. Among the frosting-themed railings or candy ornaments decorating the ship's deck, were hundreds of weapons with literal faces and smug expressions, freely aiming and screaming and laughing as they demolished the coastline arrow turrets, catapults and camouflaged beach landmines of Wano before the ship even docked. It was clear as day that the ship was Charlotte Linlin's ship, Queen Mama Chanter. The giant battleship sailed ruthlessly from the southern waters, breaking through 2 miles of rocky beach and Bonsai jungle by its own accord.

"They approach from south. Godoketsu region," King nodded and quickly contacted Kaidou.

"Kaidou, Blessed Ruler," King's voice was urgent, "Emperor Charlotte Linlin herself and her children are approaching."

So?

"I ask for Queen along with their whole command units. Godoketsu is under Queen's authority."

But Kaidou responded dryly, Queen reported to me he was on another mission to deal with internal rebellion. Just you would have to do.

"It won't suffice, My Liege. May i ask for your personal help on this matter?"

Unfortunately, i have something coming. Do what you must.

The line disconnected. The First Calamity couldn't believe his ears. An absolute emergency for Wano, their main base, their conquered country, and that was all response Kaidou could muster?

King cursed himself for being toyed with like this. Kaidou had done this absurdity for years. After his coming of age, The Beast recklessly strolled to Moby Dick and beaten Shirohige in arm-wrestling match. He also went to war against the whole freaking Marine, and coming back after apparently being bored during his imprisonment in a secret facility. And now this. With Big Mom herself coming, every life above the soil of Wano was on the line, but what was Kaidou doing all this time? Nothing but warring and having feast. And now he ignored Big Mom for 'something coming'? What was he preparing for?

"Ministers. Big Mom is here with her whole family." he said through the communication snail that was connected to each council in the palace.

...It's a full-fledged war, then.

King could even feel the entire Wano council getting frozen through that answer of theirs.

"Yes. Collect all of our tacticians. I will lead."

It was that simple, and Wano shogunate along with Beast Pirates began to respond to the challenge of Big Mom Pirates.

"Prepare my armor." King ordered, and the servants flocked around him while bringing the highest grade of seastone flexible plates. Once is chest, shoulders and genitals tightly covered, the outer red armor followed, the hues deeper than King's natural hair which was pale jade in color.

Perhaps he was wrong to follow Kaidou's whim all this time. But somehow, King had a gut feeling.

Kaidou's voice at that last sentence. It was sober. It was firm. And it was not a voice that fooled around. This gut feeling, a possibility of Kaidou telling the truth. He had heard that sober voice in the past, during the war against Kong and Vegapunk's experimental mutants. That voice was why King had the need to carry Wano's dignity, especially now. In a war that could probably be their last.

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It was Usopp. Not long after Sanji's departure to Kozuki City, the long-nosed sniper initiated the Second Wano Den-Den Mushi Teleconference Meeting of The Strawhat Pirates. He stressfully predicted that Wano Shogunate, controlled by Beast Pirate, would strike back with a huge sum of military power to find the ones responsible for killing Jack.

Thus, he begged everyone to agree to him and Franky building a military base capable of moving. Even more specifically, moving underground. This would allow them to buy time and stall the bombardment, deliberately exhausting Shogunate's ammunition and provision, after which they would resurface and maim The Shogunate when its military supplies dropped down to the lowest threshold.

Nami asked Franky about feasibility of that idea, since it mattered the most. The Cyborg gave a praise to Usopp's proposal, but then said that they simply didn't have enough time to build something like that from scratch. Killer said that they would provide manpower from the Kidd Pirates and also citizens of Kuri and Udon Village who opposed The Shogunate.

During that conversation, Mozu, Udon Village Chief, told about a rumor. About a hidden fortress in Kozuki City that was built since the beginning of Kaidou's reign twenty years ago. Now if only that information held some truth, that kind of hidden fortress would match Usopp's type of military base required to be given specific modifications.

And in the middle of that dilemma, Scratchmen Apoo and X-Drake entered the supposedly-camouflaged room.

"Hi."

A remote, isolated hidden, without any house over a hundred-mile radius, and they just manage to find the base and allowed themselves in.

Nami and the Strawhat crews were startled. But, more importantly,

"How do you find-"

Their emergency base, this base, was hidden inside the formation of small hills between Chi and Godoketsu region. No one should've known their location.

 _Our location-wait!_

"I'm sorry, Strawhats." that voice muttered from Nami's back, along with the feeling of cold knife pressing the girl's neck.

"Killer?" Nami looked sideways, at the masked man who threatened her life, Killer of Kidd Pirates.

"We were originally going to wait further, but seeing that all of your Captain and main fighters gone missing...it's to fat of a chance to be missed."

Franky quickly reacted, his face began to change from shock and surprise to recognition, "Killer, the First Mate of Eustass Kidd. You're the one telling us, telling Sanji, about the suffering in Wano. The Warring States Period, the poisoning and dethroning of Shogun by Beast Pirates."

"Yes, so?"

"How much of that story is true? None of it?"

Scratchmen Apoo just responded with trombone-like laughter, and then he said,

"Well..who knows?"

Franky grunted and prepared his weapons. But even with this many of the Strawhat Crews present, their opponent were still two members of Worst Generation. Moreover, Nami was already situated as a hostage by Killer, apparently revealing that the Kidd Pirate crews were their enemies from the start.

Nami stared at Franky, and the cyborg frown as there was something off about Nami. Her skin was darker, her voice was too thick, and her nose…

Franky's eyes widened, as the orange wig fell from "Nami" 's head.

"It's not the Navigator-?" Killer strengthened his grip to the girl's waist, but the girl vanished from sight with a pop, leaving pink-colored petals.

The vanishing girl was Robin's Hana-Hana clone, wearing orange wig. An awfully ridiculous disguise if you are a Strawhat Crew who sailed with Nami and Robin everyday, except that wasn't the case to dumbfounded enemies.

Then, the cyborg's body shivered suddenly, as he felt a massive ionic current being charged somewhere outside of the hidden base, gradually getting larger, and larger. His partially robotic skin more sensitive to electricity, he gritted his teeth as he started to recognize what one of his friends were actually doing.

"Strawhats, bail out! Close your eyes and ears! I have a bad feeling!" Franky, feeling that familiar electric sensation, grabbed Usopp and Brook and in a split second, shot a large Franky Beam blast right into the opponents.

Both X-Drake and Apoo jumped to the side inside the room, away from the burning heat. Killer ducked and try to chase Franky with his speed. But apparently Franky used the back-pressure from the shot itself to launch himself backwards, breaking the concrete walls off the hidden house/base and leaped back to the outside.

"Zeus Tempo! Whip of Olympus!"

A scream was heard, high-pitched with urgency but also with some satisfaction. As Killer barely stepped outside from the base, a great rod of blue-white thunderbolt descended to Wano's earth. That blinding terror from the sky could be seen from nearby isles, splitting the atmosphere with a ear-splitting crack.

The hidden base, along with X-Drake and Apoo inside, in the span of less than ten second, were fried into a smoldering pile of charred coal.

Killer slumped to the ground, barely avoided death. His heart was beating very rapidly, his head felt like someone just hit it with a stone boulder. Everywhere he looked, it was spinning so fast that he just fell to the ground and vomited right there. He couldn't get up, he couldn't...

"Ah...ahhakk-"

He blinked rapidly to get rid of that dizziness after witnessing that murder. He just saw two members of Worst Generation killed before they could do anything. His brain recalled in slow-motion, the punishment that just occured before. He remembered seeing Apoo's face screaming before the heat of the lightning turned that face to singed flakes of ash. He had a glimpse of X-Drake beginning to transform, but his emerging reptilian skin couldn't even slow the lightning from burning his whole body to a black deformed crisp.

This power was more than what the other Strawhat had done before. To kill Apoo and X-Drake by a single attack...What kind of power could cause this? Did the Strawhats had a new, immeasurably strong member? Or what weapons could bring this weight of attack, that was comparable to that of an Emperor of The Sea?

"Now you're exposed, Sir Killer." a fencing sword now pressed against his neck, as the skeleton wielding it put his life under mercy of The Strawhat Pirates.

"Sanji's Secret Weapon, please come out." Nami called out, and someone calmly stepped out from Nami's concealment of Mirage Tempo. It was a girl in a simple satin dress, but her third eyes at her forehead stood prominent, giving uniqueness to her features.

Charlotte Pudding, a daughter of Big Mom, Sanji's former bride.

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. . . . . . .

"Hah! This is our fourteenth time at Wano, ain't it, Smoothie? Let's make Mama proud and finally kill that bastard King, at least, eh?"

The tall, lanky swordsman of Big Mom Pirates clapped his hands, and from the pores of his skin, small brownish crumbs fell slowly to the grass. Those crumbs grew quickly, too quickly, and in the span of ten minutes, those biscuit crumbs had changed form into a hundred soldiers. Each was tall as a half-giant, holding a sword and shield capable of manifesting Charlotte Cracker's Armament Haki.

"Let's get them, Boys!"

The blunt-faced soldiers marched strong through the yellowish autumn grasslands, aiming for Capital of Flowers far in the north. Two days later, and the steps of biscuit soldiers were still big and showing off. Another two nights, the sky had gone greener, like absorbing some toxic color. After five days of walking and riding with no observable obstacles, the sceneries began to change. Cracker and Smoothies', also their division of fifty-two siblings, and finally five hundred biscuit soldiers, approached Wano's middle region. A very pink forest ahead.

The cherry blossom trees stood tall and blocked the sky from vision partially. Consisted of controlled biscuits instead of actually living, the biscuit soldiers displayed no signs of going tired. But the downside was, they didn't realize something until it was too late.

One by one, holes were opened at the yellow meadows' ground surface, previously invisible to the naked eye. Smoothie and her underlings tried to give warning, "Cracker! Beneath your soldiers! Beneath your-"

Twenty five or so soldiers suddenly stumbled into the camouflagrd ground trap, holes filled with viscous oil, and their fall ignited a mechanical fuse inside. Each of the burrows lit as the large-framed bodies burned by a long-lasting fire in each trap holes. From the forest, came a rain of flaming arrows, tearing and burning the limbs of Charlotte siblings during the moment of confusion. Three siblings died. The enemies were highly tactical. Smoothie's face became pale, but she quickly commanded the other Charlotte siblings through hand sign.

Search and neutralize the traps

Divide the army into four

Locate the hidden enemies

With Smoothie as the unofficial leader, the siblings coordinated perfectly to those three strategic tasks. Oven used their powers to heat the air inside the forest. Once the enemies were distracted in their hiding place, Cracker's soldiers easily spotted movements and sounds coming from hills and cliffs in the forest. Ninjas and Beast Pirates. Finally, it was straightforward battle.

"There they are! Attack!"

One of The Beast Pirates, a Raccoon Zoan, called out to his partners.

"Don't be afraid of Big Mom Pirates! Men! This is our ground, Wano!"

"...Yes! I know! As long as we can just finish Charlotte Smoothie and Cracker-"

The forest rivers, grass, the leaves and even tree trunks wrinkled and dried as Smoothie's body absorbed all the fluids at the radius of two kilometers. Her stature kept going bigger as she widely slashed at the enemies using her claws and long swords, until the Cherry Blossom tree peaks were no taller than her thighs. She easily plucked a group of trees, each fifty-meter tall, swung them like a giant broom and swat away the enemies like cockroaches. Stones and even hills were crushed by her swings as the Beast Pirates were blown away with disfigured bodies.

"-right. Never mind-aaAAAHH! Save meeeee!"

"It's a monster!"

One week from that battle, there were four more battles against the Beast Pirates. Each time, Charlotte siblings marched forward. They reunited with the other division, led by Charlotte Katakuri, that approached from the southwest.

From that point, all the road intersected with only one road. The barren stone road, tall and long stone cliffs at both sides. The Capital of Flowers was just one day of riding, ahead.

It was just that The Charlotte Siblings couldn't step forward from the desert they were currently at.

Not with Charlotte Cracker's corpse sprawled at the ground. In front of the corpse, the greatest swordsman of Wano swiped Cracker's blood off of his sword. Not one sibling dare to approach the average man with the red armor.

"Let us finish the power struggle after all these years started, Big Mom Pirates."

"King, The Purge of War!" Smoothie shivered. Her chest jumbled up with intense emotions, as she couldn't forget the lifeless eyes of Cracker staring at her.

"Intend to move, Charlotte Smoothie, and your head will fall." King instructed, standing alone, as thousands of Wano soldiers waited at his back. At the end of the single road, Wano army was ready to meet Big Mom Pirates. They stood in meticulous formation, half-circle layers consisted of sword division with heavy horsemen and beasts at the center.

"Katakuri." King took a glance at his main opponent, "I believe you recognize that Charlotte Smoothie is currently at my sword range. You failed to stop Charlotte Cracker's demise. Do you want to test your Future Sight for the second time?"

Katakuri recalled her vision of a few minutes in the past. The white-haired, handsome man took his stance, holding his sword vertically in front of his own face. In the next breath, twenty of the Charlotte siblings kneeled to the ground.

Without their heads.

And Cracker. Oh Cracker, a little bit too reliant on his toys at the time, let his guard down.

Just a little.

He paid the price with his own life. And to Katakuri, even if he had fought this opponent more than three times total, he just couldn't get over King's performance so easily.

 _His slashes can't be precisely tracked even with Future Sight! His speed is almost impossible to follow!_

But then, among the killing intent from Katakuri's eyes, King felt something else. It was like the Mochi Man wanted to warn him about something. And Katakuri was actually remembered, at that second, about a particular brat who get more insistent and difficult to deal with the weaker and more exhausted he became. The brat with a will, a wish shaping his tactics, his crews, his movement of muscle fibers during a fight. Katakuri felt the boy's presence here, at Wano, even though he couldn't pinpoint the location exactly.

" Stop your daydreaming , Charlotte insults me." King snapped. Katakuri sighed and called his opponent, King, The First Calamity, by his true name, "Right. Forgive me. Let's finish this, Shogun Orochi of Wano."

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

 _Pudding was carried by Sanji alongside Luffy, to Sunny. She felt so indebted and affectionate to Sanji after the cook accepted her for what she was, even with all the murder and cruel tricks she did in the past as Big Mom's daughter. Pudding told him she wanted to be abducted from Whole Cake Island as a 'hostage' of Strawhat Pirates, and she would do anything necessary to help them in their journey._

 _Sanji was happy to oblige to her request. But being a natural tactician that experienced her memory-manipulation ability first-hand, Sanji asked her if there was any way that Pudding can create clues to Big Mom, as to where The Strawhats would sail next._

 _Pudding nodded and asked The Strawhats to tie her hands and feet using ropes, after which she started her act of crying and frightened in front of them, and whispering frantically. That The Strawhats had abducted her and were in the middle of sailing to Wano._

 _After that, the three-eyed girl copied the audiovisual memory of Nami, who witnessed that scene, and transform the copied memory into physical shape. A floating and shining Memory Ball._

 _She let the Memory Ball fly away above the sea in the route between Whole Cake Island and Wano. By herself, Big Mom may not be able to locate it. But her son Charlotte Katakuri, equipped with such a strong Future Sight Observation Haki, would never miss it. Pudding asked Sanji what the purpose was to give Big Mom's crew an information as to which The Strawhats will go next._

 _At that time, Sanji answered simply: to put Big Mom Pirates and Kaidou's Beast Pirates, against each other._

 _This was the only way for The Strawhats to even have a chance to topple an Emperor. In order to help Kozuki Momonosuke claim Wano land back, as Wano's rightful ruler._

Pudding removed Killer's mask, revealing a young boy's face full of scars. The girl pressed her palm against Killer's forehead and started to concentrate.

"Recollection Extraction. Your memories will tell us the truth."

Every Strawhat felt something connected to them, as their vision started to be filled with scenes from Killer's memory. This girl was Strawhat secret weapon. And from her hand, the real past of Wano would be now uncovered.

But it was not the truth that any Strawhats can handle.

 _The people of Wano had their peace over three centuries. Starting from the latest ten years, Kozuki Clan chose a member of_ _Kurozumi_ _Clan as Shogun._

 _This part of history was falsified. The Shogun was from Kozuki Clan._

 _So as eight generations of_ _Kurozumi_ _Kozuki Shogunate had finally passed, the latest Shogun,_ _Kozuki Orochi, had a severe illness. That information alone triggered a rebellion from quite a number of Daimyos. Insecure about his throne, Orochi sought for help to crush the rebellion. A help from an evil god, Kaidou._

 _To Orochi's shock, The Beast Pirates took advantage of the situation itself to rule Wano. Kaidou stripped Shogun's entire families,most loyal bodyguards, friends, and ministers of weapons and clothes. He place them in Wano's underground prison. Everyday, they were forcefully injected by a type of corrosive venom that rot their bones and muscles little by little_ _._

 _Also not true. The Beast Kaidou came to Wano country alone, in order to isolate himself, exhausted after a decisive battle at the ocean near Red Line._

 _But a certain incident happened not so long afterwards, causing Wano Shogun to persuade The Beast into an alliance. Not willing to care about politics, The Beast refused. But apparently Orochi went to his knees, and pleaded for Kaidou to lead Wano country to greatness._

 _Starting from that day,_ _Kaidou declared himself_ _Shogun of Wano declared Kaidou as an Emperor of The Sea._ _He claimed Wano as his main headquarters and built factories of artificial Devil Fruits._ _Shogun and Wano country pledged loyalty to the newly-declared Emperor, and the Shogunate, the Nation was from that moment, was subject to Kaidou's command._

 _Kaidou was dumbfounded. He didn't know how to lead a crew, let alone a nation, at all. So he told The Shogun to keep leading the nation. If required, Kaidou would gave orders only to The Shogun and no one else, after which The Shogun would translate and implement those orders by Wano's government policies._

 _This situation, enraged the only son of the Shogun. As an heir to Kozuki Shogunate, he simply couldn't bear to see his own family being under the command of an outsider. His status as a future Shogun would become nothing more than an empty seat, an illusion of power that could be trashed anytime The Beast wanted._

 _The boy cried every night for almost two months. But once the crying stopped, the young boy had an idea. He secretly gathered all the ministers, councils, eunuchs, commanders and assassin leagues, in a meeting. Apparently, most of them despised and disgusted by The Shogun's decision. From such a great, charismatic and strategic leader, to become underling of an outsider who knew nothing other than strength and battle? It was unacceptable._

 _So the Kozuki heir, planned to kill his own father. To take Wano all for himself._

 _And he had the most trustworthy right hand man. The Chief of League of Shadow Assassins had the same distasteful view towards The Shogun's decision that had spat on Wano's dignity. Just like the heir ordered, The Assassin Chief began to form an alliance with underground broker of the world, Donquixote Doflamingo, to smuggle biohazardous materials from the international underground black market, to enter Wano country._

 _Using those materials, the Kozuki heir started building artificial Devil Fruit Factories. Whatever waste drained out of the factories turned the rivers into toxic waters, in effect also poisoned the cattles and trees into being inedible. Many were cornered into eating corpses, since the famine and sickness was even worse then Warring States Period. While Kaidou and Orochi were attending a meeting between Kings at Mariejoa, the heir made a public statement to the citizens, that these factories were Kaidou's decision._

 _It made Wano citizens hate The Beast even more. But the Daimyos who knew the heir's intricate schemes, including even members of Kozuki Clans, were horribly executed by Assassin's Chief by the order of the Kozuki heir. And the final step, was for the Assassin's Chief to approach Kaidou, in order to take the position directly below Orochi. The Chief had to gain Orochi's trust before assassinating him. And through sporadic persuasion and countless missions, the Assassin's Chief finally succeeded._

 _While Orochi became The First Calamity Commander: King, The Assassin's Chief became The Second Calamity: Queen. And one of Queen's trusted assassin, a Wano native named Killer, was sent to outside world to manipulate pirate crews into entering Wano and join the usurpation of Orochi._

 _But...the chance for the heir to kill Shogun Orochi had not come for years. Even when manipulated by Killer into war against the Shogunate, Eustass Kidd was killed by Kozuki Orochi. The Shogun was far too alert, and the Samurai army and people supported his decisions as well._

 _So the Kozuki heir collaborated with Doflamingo to formulate a plan. He would visit Punk Hazard to play victim for the naive Strawhats to rescue and escort back to Wano._

 _Because there was The Voice that guided the Kosuki heir. The Voice of All Things told him, getting escorted by Strawhats to Wano was the key. Even if they initially made no attempt to challenge Big Mom, The Strawhat would cause trouble some way or the other, and that would result in Big Mom Pirates chasing them all the way to Wano._

 _And getting Big Mom to run wild at Wano, was the best chance he, Kozuki Momonosuke, would get._

 _To spread chaos to this country, kill his own father using Big Mom's power, overthrow Kaidou, and to be Wano's savior._

After experiencing that display of imageries and sounds, The Strawhats were silenced. There were chills running down their spines as they uncovered this truth. Usopp suddenly felt an urge and he vomited uncontrollably. Shivering after finished hurling his stomach content, he never felt so betrayed before. Franky punched the ground and grunted, "That little weasel. How dare him using Luffy and us like that. Luffy is a simple boy who can't say no to a call for help, but taking advantage of that good-for-nothing nature of his? That is the new low."

Nami, though startled, still tried to arrange the facts, "So all this time, you all are accomplices of Assassin's Chief, who himself is a right-hand man of the...vengeful Kozuki Heir? Momo...nosuke..."

"Momo...he just tagged along to use us as baits and pawns to be sacrificed? He fooled around with us right under our noses?"

"So...him and you, you all just dragged us into this power struggle between Kozuki family members? All of Sanji's strategy, instructing Pudding to leave Memory Tracks for Big Mom Pirates to pick up, that was also on his calculation?"

Killer gave up, "Yes. Because The Heir could never accept it that Shogun Orochi voluntarily asked for Wano to be under Kaidou's protection. That he himself asked to join Kaidou's crew."

"What-"

"Shogun Orochi is The Calamity, King. And Kozuki Momonosuke just used you all to bring Big Mom here. You are necessary sacrifice for Kaidou's fall."

"No...you lied!" Usopp cut him with growing panic hammered at his chest, "Momo wouldn't do it! A brat like him...he wouldn't know Luffy and Sanji would cause that much incident at Big Mom's turf! It was an accident, Momo could've not foreseen that all!"

Pudding meekly replied to that, "My ability extract and display his memories to your brain. Unless i manipulate that memory you've all just seen, which is not the case...it can't be manipulated by conscious lies."

"No.."

Pudding looked at Nami hard in the eyes, "It's...the truth. Kozuki Momonosuke lure you here to pit you all against Kaidou..."

"As i said, he couldn't foresee-"

"Oh, he could." Killer looked relieved and even more confident, "After all, Kozuki Momonosuke has The Voice of All Things. The voice that tells him about the billions of future possibilities, and feasibilities to arrive at each possibilities. The Voice made Kozuki Momonosuke such a brilliant leader and strategist. And also, that voice allows him to call and control the Island Elephant. Zuunisha."

"Zz-Zu-Zuunisha...that beast? That island-sized elephant...is on the way here!?"

"Queen will kill that traitor Orochi while he's busy handling Charlotte Siblings alone. After that, we will poison Kaidou during the emergency meeting of Wano," Killer started to laugh, between frustation and hysteria, "And even if the poison fails to kill that disgusting monster, Big Mom and Zuunisha will finish Kaidou. With these two trump cards on our side, Wano will finally reach true greatness! And-" His speech was short-lived as Pudding shot him five times in the face using her gun.

Brain matters and cranium bone pieces were splattered to Wano soil. Killer's body fell immediately to the ground. On receiving shocked, quivering look from The Strawhat's face, Pudding merely shrugged with a flat face, "Sorry. Since i met someone as nice and warm as Sanji, i came to really hate this type of guy."

"Pudding what the hell did you just do?!"

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

After the clean-up and recovery from psychological shock, The Strawhats had new matters to attend to. If Kozuki Momonosuke - who was currently at Kozuki City - was their enemy the whole time, then Sanji and Chopper - who should be also at Kozuki City by now - were in danger. This made their need towards a moveable military base even more crucial and urgent.

"But that's still going to take weeks, possibly months to accomplish," Franky said passively, "And that's even generous if all we have to do is to modify and patch up an built-in military base additional motion-gears or conveyor rigs. To make it from scratch, that's gonna be a different story. We're talking about base minimum of anti-ballistic defensive capability as a fortress here after all."

But by then, a metaphorical light bulb lit in Usopp's head.

"Wait! Wait wait wait!"

Everyone stopped talking.

"I'm thinking here! Nami, don't jiggle your titties for a moment!"

Five minutes of Nami's bosoms being modestly behaved could work wonders. Finally Usopp smacked his own forehead, "Dumb! I'm the dumbest!"

"Sir Long-Nose?" Robin asked, "What is it?"

"Franky doesn't even have to build a moving fortress! We can have it!" Usopp cursing himself internally for not thinking it earlier,

"Gang 'Capone' Bege! He is a moving fortress himself!"

"...!"

Applauding the solution, Robin laughed in amazement to how sharp Usopp's cunning and strategy was.

"You're right, Usopp." Nami nodded hastily, "If only we can contact him…"

"Isn't Jimbei with Capone? We may be able to-"

Usopp groaned almost painfully, "Oh no, they went their separate ways."

"Sanji gave me Jimbei and Capone's Mushi's wave contact numbers, though…" Franky muttered, but this caused Usopp to grab his rectangular robotic shoulders and yelled frantically, "Is that true?! Sanji! He's truly a man among men!"

"Let's check it ourselves." Franky grab the telepathic snail and dialed Capone's contact numbers hurriedly. If they could manage getting a moving military base, it would greatly reduce the overall risk for them.

"Hello? Capone? Dude, are you there?"

BZZZZTT_

"Hello? HULLO!?" Franky's voice began to get louder, more impatient.

BZZ-Are yBZTT-ou-

But what greeted them, apparently, was the start of something none of them would predict. Upon hearing that voice, everyone's face became white like chalk.

Mamamama. Are you there, Strawhat Pirates? I have arrived. Here, at Wano, all the way from Wholecake Island. And oh, i happen to met your little mafioso friend on the way so i brought him here.

" . . . "

" . . . ?!"

"B-bib-Bb-BIG MOOOM !?"

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. . . . . . .

It was known to the world that Kaidou The Beast had spent his youth growing alongside Rocks D. Xebec, the strongest of all warriors from the previous era.

Due to Xebec's cruelty, it took the strategy of Marines and ruthlessness of Roger Pirates to apprehend him. Three admirals along with Monkey D. Garp, had joined hands with Gol D. Roger and his crew, and defeated Xebec and his crew in a raid.

Xebec killed himself in the prison. He left his last will to Kaidou. But what Orochi just knew recently that Xebec had gave the youngling Kaidou, through that last will, missions of enormous danger. Scheming to divide the first echelons of Tenryuubito into murderous conflict. Diverting the Pluton's warheads away from a certain New World city. And the peak was killing the legendary Emerald Tortoise, a sacred creature which once crumbled the entire Red Line to half of its original height, using earth elemental powers.

After that, Xebec's wife finally revealed that those tasks were truly intended to be training regiments for Kaidou. The Emerald Tortoise was the only one creature able to individually subdue Xebec, but he saw that Kaidou has the potential to reach an individual strength even greater than himself. And a few years later, Xebec's vision became reality. Since that moment, Kaidou was undoubtedly called "The Strongest Living Being".

But all this had a price. Extensive battles in the past had made Kaidou bored with this life even when he was just reaching his prime.

Thus he since had sought for the strongest warriors, strongest armies of this world. To die facing them, or to give his own life more meaning. More feeling.

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. . . . . . .

Charlotte Linlin, My Lady. I wish to discuss some important matter. May i ask for your location?

That voice rang familiar in Big Mom's ears. The smoothness and experience, the melodic tune of this voice. It was none other than the gentlemanly skeleton that stole away the information from her Road Poneglyph.

"Why, i remember you, my little pet." Big Mom was surprised at herself trying to suppress her anger. It seemed that she had taken a liking to this skeleton even more that she thought. "You want to negotiate? What are you offering?"

I have a information copy of Kaidou's Road Poneglyph.

Suddenly something stirred in Linlin's gut. Kaidou's Road Poneglyph? How clever and slick was this skeleton to be able to steal from two Emperors in the same year?

But Big Mom couldn't show herself being tempted. "Just keep it."

...Your voice trembled slightly, My Lady. As a singer and musician, i'm quite proficient at recognizing truths and lies within a conversation...

"I'll just take it from your corpses after i burn you all and those country!" Big Mom was suddenly pissed, "Strawhat Luffy and his wenches!"

You cannot, My Lady. the reply came, sounding confident and composed, I hid it at a secret location. If you want to take it, Mrs. Linlin, please take my offer and tell me your location. It's going to be a fortune for both of us.

A minute of silence filled the communication line.

"...Fine. I'm at southern coast, near Godoketsu Cavern."

. . .

"Come and pray that you can walk away living, My Pet."

But My Lady-

"What!?"

I'm already dead. Yo-Ho.

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. . . . . . .

Luckily, Godoketsu region wasn't as far from Chi outskirts. Franky built a small Tank, just enough for all the Strawhats to cramp themselves in. The spent the traveling time furiously debating at each other. Whether Gang Bege being alive or dead, Luffy's whereabouts, about what could possibly go right in this damn meeting with Big Mom.

Three days after the call, they arrived at the designated meeting location. They saw Charlotte Linlin, sitting by herself beside heaps of chocolate bars and sweet breads. Her children were nowhere to be seen.

No. Not exactly by herself. They sense a faint putrid smell, getting stronger as they get closer.

And they saw it. Big Mom held in his left hand, the decapitated head of Capone Gang Bege.

Nami and Robin automatically shivered and felt their stomach churning. Big Mom carelessly put the corpse's head to the sand dunes and started eating a chocolate bar.

"Ladies. You don't need to step out from this vehicle." Brook convinced the girls, before turning slightly at Usopp, "I just need to do as Sir Usopp told me. I will also be a part that delivers our victory."

But the long-nosed sniper was petrifiedl like a stone statue. This was his idea, and if this fail, they all die.

And if they die, it would be because of him.

This was the weight of responsibility. Usopp felt his body already dying, his arms and legs numb, and his brain frozen from fear of seeing the wrinkly smirk of a giant Demon Queen in front of them.

But he had to do it.

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

The living skeleton. It was standing gallantly in front of her like a northern kingdom prince, expecting her to accept a dance. He brought a tiny box.

"I must first apologize to you, Lady Charlotte, due to the first bad impression left by Strawhat Pirates since The Wholecake Island Incident. But-"

"Apparently you don't realize the situation you're in?" Big Mom cut Brook's speech short.

"That is not the case, Madame. I know very well that standing in front of you, with this large of a gap in power, put me and my friends entirely at your mercy. That being said, i want to point out that it is of my Captain's desire to collect all Road Poneglyphs to locate the island of Laugh Tale-"

"Everyone wants to be Pirate King," Linlin grunted impatiently, "You waste my time by explaining just that to me-"

"-in order to give the location to you, Charlotte Linlin."

Big Mom needed a full minute to process that last line.

"...What. Did. You say?"

Brook sighed and his voice turned into a self-contemplation, "It is hard to take, i know. But our visit to the Wholecake Island brought a new perspective to our Captain."

Big Mom listened at each word with much more care now.

"He saw...an entire array of species, consisting of Minks and Sylphs, Minotaurs and Merfolks, gathering together under your Jolly Roger."

"He...said that?" Charlotte Linlin's expression changed in an instant.

"He want the world to be like that."

There was someone who recognized her vision?

"No conflict between the world citizens! No more marines, no pirates, no government officials. All, standing as one!"

Strawhat Luffy was that kind of person? And he actually wanted to collect all The Road Poneglyph for her?

"And he said, that maybe he was wrong to chase the title of Pirate King. Maybe all the world needs to reach peace and happy face...is Charlotte Linlin's Queendom."

Big Mom forgot to close her mouth for a moment. Brook continued his speech,

"But alas-"

"You...that's a lie!"

The Demon Queen cut Brook's words, spitting the words angrily, "That Rubber Brat could've just give all the remaining Road Poneglyph copy to me!"

" . . . "

"He didn't have to risk his life to steal the information from MY Road Poneglyph, in MY island!"

Brook spoke no answer for the moment, and in receiving that silence Big Mom began to call for her powers.

It changed. The climate itself changed before ten cycles of breathing could pass. The ground started to crack with bright red patterns that went for miles, as the air vibrated with extreme heat to follow the darkening sky. Every Strawhats felt each of their breath as their last, that sensasion that no one could escape from the door of death that stood before them.

She would not leave even any piece of their corpse, as all would turn to dust under her command of Prometheus.

And to Linlin's surprise, the skeleton simply chuckled.

"Because we have Nico Robin, and you don't."

From the nearby sand dunes, the human form of Nico Robin sprouted, like a blooming flower. Just for three seconds, before it seemed to get smaller and smaller and then disappeared. A cloned organism of some sort.

But that little woman with resourceful black eyes. Linlin recognized her without a doubt. She was the only person who mastered the Ancient Language. The only person, able to decipher The Poneglyphs.

She was also here, within that little tank. Coming at her own volition, she was here.

Suddenly, Big Mom's flooding rage came to a halt, replaced by a realization. Something in Big Mom's chest began to ache.

"You need my Poneglyph also...because you want the complete information to decipher?"

"That was the reason our Captain risked his live just to order me, to memorize your Poneglyph's content. He needed the big picture. With the entire puzzle collected, Nico Robin can decipher the location...and once completed, deliver that information."

"...Back to me?"

"Back to you." Brook nodded.

"But you said...he wanted to collect the entire information first." Big Mom replied, all hostility replaced by curiosity now, "How can you say that now while you're just in the possession of one more, instead of all the remaining Poneglyphs?"

"Because our Captain already died." Brook said coldly.

"Wha-"

"Kaidou murdered him."

Big Mom stood, shock after shock hit her stronger than the most sophisticated explosives.

"To deliver Nico Robin for you, to fulfill the Gourment Dream. This is his last will."

"Gourmet...Dream?"

Brook seemed to sigh, "You and our Captain seem to share a similar love to food and gourmet world. He said if you rule the world, it will rise above famine, as hunger is the pillar of suffering and war. The world would flourish with gourmet prosperity. He didn't really need to ask you this, but he insisted that i ask you, Big Mom, for an absolute guarantee as the payment for this service from us."

"What is that?" Now Linlin's voice became just a little more than a whisper, "What did he ask of me?"

The skeleton opened the box. Inside of it, was a chocolate cheesecake. Brook held it in the front of her, welcoming her to take it.

"That once you rule as a Pirate Queen, never allow anyone in the world to be hungry anymore."

Linlin felt warm trickles fell from her eyes.

She was stunned. Tears? How long since she last shed a tear for others? She didn't know about this side of Monkey D. Luffy at all. That boy wanted to help her, he unraveled a red carpet for her coronation as a Pirate Queen. How can she be so blind?

"And he...he wouldn't mind it at all, that kind of world."

Charlotte Linlin's hand trembled with sadness and respect for Monkey D. Luffy, as the giant woman took the cake from Humming Brook's hands, and chew.

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . .


End file.
